The Greatest Summer of all time
by Starlite1
Summary: First in the Pathways Series.When your Dad keeps an old 1950's police box in the basement, you know that your family's different. For Rose and the Doctor's twins, turning eleven is going to be interesting...
1. Domesticity? More like insanity!

A.N: My first dabble into the wonderful world of Doctor Who! I am still in stubborn refusal to believe that Eccleson's leaving, so this is AU. Hope that you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own it. All I own in a quarter share in a little 2 inch high Tardis, and my own dreams and imagination….

The Greatest Summer of All Time.

Chapter one: Domesticity? More like insanity!

By

Starlite1

Josie Tyler was bored. Her parents were out at work, and her twin brother Adrian was shouting curses at his X-Box. So far the summer was turning out to be a complete and utter waste of time and effort. At least there were only two months, three weeks and five days until her first day of high school began. Of course, she could always call her best friend Anita, but that would inevitably lead to more last minute party plans and preparations than the oppressive heat allowed.

Sadly, lounging about whilst Jackie Tyler is within a hundred miles is inevitably invoking a stream of scolding followed by a summary of almost incomputable chores that needed to be done before her parents returned home for the evening. Many times she had wished for a time machine that might just spare her.

Thus she wasn't surprised when she heard the piercing voice of her grandmother as she bustled into the room, her salt and pepper hair tied back off her face and neck in an effort to find some relief from the heat, "You. Get off your backside! The pantry needs a clean, the whites need ironing, and your new uniform needs adjusting! Not to mention the silver, the porcelain and the attic…"

Josie rolled her eyes, "We did the pantry less than a week ago, the whites can be done anytime, and there's almost three months to go until I need the uniform!"

"Not if I know your parents…" Jackie muttered, "There's no reason to put it off. We need to get them done, miss, and seeing as you're not doing anything other than slouching about, you can get off your high horse and _get a move on!" _

Knowing that the battle was lost, Josie wrenched herself out of the deep well of the couch, and trundled miserably after her gran.

There was something about the middle ages, that just was so unique that made it vividly distinct from every single other place that they ever visited.

"Seriously, it's the smell that sets it apart, I'm sure!" Rose told her husband, as they waltzed down the muddy street of a diminutive hamlet in Northern Scotland somewhere around the year 1350,

He looked at her, astonishment clear in his eyes, "You've got to be kidding me! If there's one thing that sets this apart, it's the stupid mentality of the age. The smell comes standard in any run down part of history, hell, maybe even in the 4th empire!"

She snorted, "Oh, come on. The mentality hasn't changed and you bloody well know it!"

"You're right, you know." He said with a heart melting grin, "Gotten tired of the stench yet?"

"Oh, I'm not so sure. It can really grow on a girl, and anyway, you promised me a jousting tournament, didn't you?"

"Indeed I did. And as I am bound to obey your every wish, I suppose we should go and have some fun!"

"After you, My Lord! Which reminds me, where is Jack?"

"Three guesses. The pub, the brothel, or the streets."

Surprisingly, Jack Harkness found himself in none of these places, but instead in an armoury. As godfather to the twins, it was his duty to give amazing presents, particularly for their birthdays, yet so far, he had found nothing for his godson. Something from here was his last chance. Even though his father would most likely kill him, it would be worth it just to see the look on the boy's face.

His eyes scanned along the rows of weapons, looking for something that would be mildly suitable for him. Instantly, anything larger than a Yard was outlawed. It was a gift, not something to be hidden in the back of the infamous Tyler pantry. A dagger would be a distinct possibility, and knowing his genes, he would no doubt end up in enough trouble to warrant one. Quickly glancing along the display he found just the right one for his purpose. Turning to the smith, he quickly closed the transaction. At least that had been sorted out, and he could now do the thing he liked best: Drinking.

Josie's entire being ached with overwork when she answered the door around five. Standing there was Anita, her hands overflowing with charts, lists and mounds of party paraphernalia, "You took your time getting to the door." She said cheerfully, marching up the stairs towards Josie's bedroom.

Grimacing slightly, Josie followed, "What have we forgotten this time? Everything's ready and fine!"

Anita spun round, nearly knocking Josie down the stairs, "What do you mean, everything's ready?" she demanded, her auburn hair swaying threateningly, "We have less than twenty four hours to create the grandest and most glorious party in the history of the human race!"

"I'm sorry, but that's already been taken." Came a voice from the basement door.

Josie spun round, "Dad!" she said joyfully, jumping from her point halfway up the stairs to give him an embrace.

"Hello yourself!" he replied cheerfully, "No need to kill me."

"Hello Anita," Rose said wearily from behind her husband, "How's the preparations going?"

"Hey Mrs. Tyler. We've still got heaps to do, and not enough time to do it." She answered, attempting to adjust one of the charts precariously dangling from her fingers without tumbling down the stairs.

Rolling her eyes, Josie turned to her mother, "So where did you go this time?"

A wicked gleam appeared in her mother's eyes, "Middle ages, jousting contest with William the Conqueror's great grandson. Mud was thicker than hair gel, the stench puts some of the things under your brother's bed to shame, and half of the people were missing teeth."

"What was that about my room?" Adrian demanded, sidling past Anita and her papers, succeeding in only sending half soaring down to the ground.

"Mum was just commenting how it smells worse than the middle ages." Josie bit back.

He stared at his parents, "So that's where you went today? Pull the other one!" he snorted, turning away to head out the back.

"Adrien…" his father said warningly, "Don't be disrespectful to your mother and sister."

"Fine." He said stubbornly.

With a grin, he added, "But y'know, they're right."

"Arrrghh!!" He shouted, practically sprinting out of the room.

It was at that moment Jack chose to make his entrance, "What did I miss out on?" Jack asked in bewilderment.

As usual, dinner was a loud, raucous affair in the Tyler residence. Plates were shuttled back and forth down the table, filled with foods from both near and far. Chatter filled the air, mingling with the raucous Cricket symphony occurring just outside the window. This was what Anita liked about coming around. Her own house was run like a dictatorship, and even _considering_ speaking at the table was incomprehensible. She and her brothers and sisters had grown used to it. Here, the exact opposite was true. Thus, at least three times a week she found herself irrevocably sitting around the circular dining table in the conservatory engaged in a heated debate with Mr. Tyler, Adrien, Josie and their Uncle Jack about some of the strangest things under the sun. For instance, tonight they were talking about the political revolts that had plagued the television for almost six years now.

"When Harriet left, everything went to the dogs!" Mr. Tyler declared, reaching out and grabbing the salad from the other side of the table.

"But," Rose pointed out, "She stayed for nearly a decade, and that was _after _she had- how many was it?- Over twenty separate death threats, not to mention having her house bombed."

"Hmm, always knew that there was a reason I liked her." He replied, a distant look coming across his eyes, "Knew how to handle herself in a crisis, she did, which is more than can be said for the pathetic lot of the moment."

Anita giggled. Talk like this was tantamount to blasphemy in her house, "How would you know that she was good in a crisis?" she asked.

"Coz we met her during one." He remarked, "Don't think many people could call themselves sane after that day."

Josie looked at him sharply, "You met the President? And you didn't tell me?"

"It was about a year and a half before the pair of you were born." Rose interjected, "That day was pandemonium. A nice bit of fun, wasn't it?"

Jackie snorted, "Speak for yourself! I still get nightmares about it…" She shuddered, "Those things-"

"Topic change!" Rose, Mr. Tyler and Jack chorused hurridly.

"Why?" Anita asked, surprise at the reaction.

Rose gave her a gentle smile, "Because some of us are beginning to turn green, some for reasons other than the threat of loosing our stomachs."

"Am Not!" Mr. Tyler said indignantly.

"Greener than a bowl full of algae!" Rose replied

The situation quickly dissolved into a tounge-sticking out match, which left everyone with tears in their eyes. Anita couldn't help but realise that this was more of a home than her place.

Later that night, Josie lay on her bed, listening to the strange sound of her heartbeat. Instead of the standard boom-boom that all the hearts of the science videos their teacher had forced them to watch, her heart always went boom-kad-da-boom. It was strange, but somehow right.

From the trundle bed down on the floor came a loud snort as Anita turned over in her sleep. Downstairs, she could hear the Council of Elders talking softly. Wishing she were closer, she strained her ears:

"…Tardis Keys-?"

"-Ready-"

"-About-?"

"Not-"

"Do you-?"

There was a pause, "-No other way… come….hate…"

"…Idiot. You know…"

With a frustrated grumble, she turned over and attempted to go to sleep.

A.N: So what do you think??? Please tell me by clicking that little button down there. **Constructive** criticism is welcome, but flames shall be used to toast marshmallows


	2. Prepare yourself

A.N: Hey all! Here's the next instalment of this crazy saga, hope you like. Thanks must go to those who reviewed: The Angel Of Hope, Spirolizzy, englishchik, freak and proud (They don't know, and email me about the campaign!) and Joshwales.

Also, I must put a dedication on this chapter, To the people who were killed in the car crash on Ryde Rd this afternoon, which I passed on the way home, and also to all those who were affected by the London Terrorist attacks.

Once again, thanks!

The Greatest Summer of All Time,

Chapter 2: Prepare Yourself.

By Starlite1

In her dreams, she saw a planet burning.

In her dreams, she heard the wail of billions dying.

In her dreams, she could do nothing but watch.

She awoke screaming.

IOIOIOIOIOI

Hands shook her awake, rescuing her from the hell of her subconscious. Gasping for air, she finally managed to focus on the three faces in front of her.

"Are you all right?" Her father asked, worry clear in his face.

"It was… burning!" She exclaimed in between the gulps of air.

Anita rubbed her back, "What was, Josie?"

"Gallifrey!" She answered without considering.

Her mother shot a glance at her father in surprise, "What did you say?"

Realising she had no clue what she had said, she repeated, "Gallifrey. It was burning! There were voices, so many voices! What was it?!?" She demanded, choking back the sobs that had replaced her breathlessness.

Her father sighed, "I'll explain later. Now is definitely _not_ the time. As a matter of fact, Considering the time, and that there is very little chance of any of us getting back to sleep, might I suggest that we all get up, go downstairs and have a cuppa tea. Then we can get into party preparations."

IOIOIOIOIOI

They came downstairs to find Jackie, Jack and Adrian already sitting bleary-eyed at the table, stemming mugs of tea in front of them.

"Tea's waiting for you in the pot." Jackie mumbled, gingerly sipping the seething beverage.

"Ta, mum." Rose said gratefully, walking over to the cupboard and taking down their mugs. Anita led Josie to her seat, worrying about her in the same fashion as a mother chicken. As she fiddled with the tea, Rose couldn't help but be grateful that her daughter had a best friend like Anita. Then again, she was around so often it was more like she was family then anything else.

As for her mother…

There were many things that could be said about Mrs. Forster, and the most pleasant of them would probably be that she was punctual. Her figure was angular, as pointed as her personality. The sound of hacksaws and rusty razor blades resounded within her voice. Black, floor length dresses, coupled with starched white blouses made up the entirety of her wardrobe. Streaks of grey lined her hair, which was never out of the impeccable bun she imprisoned it within. Her residence was always neat enough to put Vouge to shame, and seemed more like a display house than a home. The mere thought of a woman working in a place other than the home made the blood drain from her already pallid face. Her seven children were dressed in clothing that would have been far better suited to usage as straight jackets in a mental asylum.

Her husband, Mr. Douglas H. Forster was a high ranking barrister who enjoyed commuting into central London in his BMW six mornings a week, seven if he could manage it. His body was a mass of fat and sweat encased in starched Giovanni shirts and suits. Mounds of blubber flowed outward from him, making a bid for freedom from the plain silk ties and pearly cufflinks that adorned his voluptuous neck and forearms. The few remaining wisps of hair were combed and waxed across his scalp, a rather pathetic attempt at vanity. Stubble adorned his cheeks and perspiration poured off him by the litre, causing him to be eternally mopping his forehead with wispy handkerchiefs stiffer than blocks of wood. The sound when he spoke was nasally and raspy, grating on the nerves of all whom heard it

Their general opinion of anyone who was not of a) pure Anglo Saxon descent, b) a bloodline tracing back at least fourteen generations, and c) an anti-progressive mentality was low, to say the least. It meant that on the very few occasions when she had been forced to interact with the pair, she had come away, pride scorned, and her mood tarnished for almost a week afterwards.

Yet their daughter, the fifth out of the seven could not be more different. Rose preferred to believe that she had had a hand in that. Her face was alive with life, graced by a perfect smile and laughing hazel eyes. Her ginger hair was forced into pigtails by a process of brutal wrenching, pulling and tugging by her mother every morning, just as she was forced to wear a slightly modified uniform whenever she was at home. Thus, whenever she was over at the Tyler's, both of these bonds were discarded in favour of ponytails, jeans and tank tops. Within her heart was a great capacity to love, which had somehow survived years of being quashed. Looking at the expression on her face as she fretted over Josie made her wonder how on earth she could be related to the two who were most likely ignoring the cries of their youngest (Marian, 14 mths.) who would have woken just as the pre-dawn light came through her bedroom window, desperate for love that would never come.

With a smile, she brought the tea over to the table, grateful for the wonderful home that she could come home to.

"So…" She began, "Who wants toast?"

IOIOIOIOIOI

Nearly six hours later, the sun was fully up, and decorations were whizzing left, right and centre. Red, gold, silver and blue streamers adorned every wall, table, seat and vanity. Confetti of the same colours fluttered through the air in tremendous quantities, falling to the ground in a multicoloured array. Balloons proclaiming "Happy Birthday" and other such messages dominated the ceiling, suspended in mid-air like flying saucers. Already the kitchen was bustling with the efforts of Jackie and Adrian, their personal chefs. Heavenly smells wafted from the ovens, carrying the promise of pies, sausage rolls and cakes too innumerable to note.

Mr. Tyler was perched precariously on a chair, attempting to pin up the other end of a holographic banner with Jack making useless comments from his perch on the sofa, where he was inflating the balloons from the helium they had picked up the day before.

Rose, Anita and Josie were putting the final touches onto the table. Bowls full of a variety of candies, not all from earth, were every few feet, with the general celebration paraphernalia at every seat. Finally, as the clock in the hall struck half eleven, the three younger members of the strange family went upstairs to change into their party gear, and the remainder collapsed together onto the couch in utter exhaustion.

They sat in silence for a minute, attempting to recover before they were overrun by hordes of pre-teens.

"Do you think we can pull this off?" Rose finally asked.

Grasping his wife's hand, Mr. Tyler replied, "Y'know, I think we can."

IOIOIOIOI

A.N: So what do you think? Reviews are great, constructive criticism is appreciated but flames are used to cook damper with smarties in it! (Try it sometime!) Until next we meet, I bid thee farewell!


	3. There's something about turning eleven

A.N: Hey to all, I've pretty much re-wrote the entire second half of this chapter, and I now present it to you for your assessment and reading pleasure. Thanks must go to: Joshwales, occultmagic, freak and proud (I cried through the last one fifty!), EbonyBeach, The Angel of Hope, VampireHelsing, and AN. Your reviews were WONDERFUL!

Owing to the second attempt on London, I once again dedicate this to the people who are out there believing in peace, freedom and justice.

Now, tis time to PARTY!

The Greatest Summer of all time, Chapter 3.

There's something about turning Eleven…

By Starlite1

Josie couldn't suppress the unbelievable happiness that she felt. So far the party had gone flawlessly, and everything was perfect. The last remnants of the food sat on the long table, which had groaned underneath the weight less than an hour ago. Now gossip was flying across the tables faster than the volleys of the Wimbledon Finals.

With a grin, she reached across to grab another delicacy, and bit down into one of the profiteroles her brother had made especially. The chocolate custard exploded in her mouth, sweet and wonderful. Looking at her brother who was chatting to his goofy friends, she gave him an air hug. As though he'd sensed it, he paused, giving her a thumbs up before going back to an intriguing discussion on the recently revived Poke'mon series.

"You know, I think we went all right!" Anita commented cheerfully from next to her.

Josie couldn't help but snort at that. Regardless of what her father said, she still knew this was the best party imaginable. "I'll agree with you there, kiddo!" she laughed.

"I think it's time for presents!" her mother proclaimed from the other end of the table. All at once there was a stampede of pre-teens heading through the concertina doors towards the lounge room. Jack, coming from the other direction nearly found himself toppled to the ground.

IOIOIOI

Sitting on the Persian-ish rug, the group crowded around the twins, desperate to see what treasures lay within the two gaping stacks of presents in the centre of the circle. As the eldest, Adrian opened the first present.

Paper ripped, and with a grin, he said, "Thanks Tim!" As he held up a limited edition Mk VIII Digigotchi.

Considering carefully, Josie picked out a flat teal package from the base of her pile. Carefully picking at the Sellotape, she pulled out a lavishly illustrated book full of sketches on the Ancient Ming Dynasty. Thanking Carrie, she turned back to the pile. From here on, it was a free for all.

Less than twenty minutes later, their respective piles had dwindled down to the last, most important presents. Taking a deep breath, Josie gently picked up Anita's present. As the wrapping fell away, it revealed two things: A delicate little swallow perched upon the branches of an oak tree, each feather pulsing with life, and a pair of anklets.

In a rush, Anita tried to explain, "I made them myself, and I thought you'd like one, and then one for me, and-"

"Anita!" Josie interrupted, "They're the best. But I think this one belongs to you though." She added, passing the one with more blue to her.

She grinned.

Picking up Uncle Jack's, tearing at the paper as was customary with his presents. Within she found a small box. Opening the lid, she found a delicate necklace with a single emerald in the centre. Beneath it lay a note that simply said: _This once belonged to a Queen, seemed fitting that it should go to a princess, Love Uncle Jack._

"Thanks, Uncle Jack!" She told him, fastening it at the nape of her neck. Looking over to her brother, she was just in time to see the dagger that fell out of the wrapping. The look on her father's expression was priceless, and clearly said to Jack _we'll talk about this later…_

Finally, there was a small box and an envelope- Mum and Dad's. Opting for the box first, she pulled away the voluptuous ribbons (her mother's trademark wrapping) and lifted the lid to reveal…

"A Mobile phone!" She said with a grin. Looked top line too.

"We guessed you'd need it." Her mother told her from the couch.

"Thanks, ma." She said, before turning her attention to the final object. There was something about the envelope, an aura of power and potential that echoed into the air around it. Breaking the wax seal, she pulled out a card with a picture that looked rather like the place from her dream. Opening it, all that fell out was a golden key. In her father's strange and elegant hand were the words: _Happy Birthday, I will explain later, Love Dad._

Looking over to her brother, she saw the same look of bafflement on his face as she knew was on her own.

IOIOIOIOIOI

As soon as the last of the guests had left, both twins sought out their parents.

"Hey grandma, have you seen mum and dad?" Adrian asked, as they came into the kitchen where their grandmother was stacking the dishwasher.

Jackie sighed, "He's waiting for you downstairs. I guess you'd best get down there."

Instinctively, both ran over and hugged her fiercely, "Thanks, gran." Josie said.

Together they walked out into the hall, and Josie couldn't suppress the wave of apprehension that passed over her as she reached out for the door handle. The hinges creaked as the door swung open, a pale blue light flowing outward, shimmering and dancing. Taking a deep breath, Josie slowly descended down the creaky basement stairs.

There her father stood, tall figure silhouetted in the light emanating from the old Police Box. Tentatively they stepped forward, one on either side.

Silence encompassed the room for what seemed like an eternity, until he finally shattered it.

"The last of her kind, she is…" He whispered.

Adrian looked at him in surprise; "I've seen ones just like it in the city."

He looked down at his son, "Not like her you haven't."

"How is it different from any other ordinary Police Box?" she queried.

"_She,_" He emphasised, "is the only thing I have left of my home." He paused, trying to collect the torrent of thought, "There was a great war-The Final Time War- that killed billions. Whole civilisations were wiped out of existence. There was one last battle, where one man made a choice: To destroy the enemy in one final blow. Only thing was that to ensure that they never killed anyone ever again, he had to destroy his home as well. He knew that to let them escape would lead to the universe being ripped apart. So he chose. And with that, he lost everything.

"After a while, he went off, and tried to continue to do what he'd done before. And he succeeded to an extent. Then one day, he met a girl who reminded him how wonderful the universe could be. As usually happens, they fell in love, got married and had children."

"And the moral of the story?" Adrian asked.

"Do you both have the keys?" He retaliated.

Mutely they nodded.

"Then why not use them?" he questioned, indicating the door.

Josie raised an eyebrow, "First an utterly confusing story, and now you're telling us that our birthday present is in an old police box?"

"Yep."

Deciding to take the bait, she stepped forward. Fishing her key from the pocket of her jeans, she shoved it into the lock. It turned surprisingly easily, a click resounding within the object, seeming to resonate within a space far larger than should be possible.

Using the key as leverage, she pulled the door open, the fact it was rather heavier than a mere wooden door should be escaping her notice, paling in comparison to what lay before her. Her legs felt like jelly as she stepped inside. Not trusting her eyes, she took one, two, three steps forward, hoping that her vision would be proved wrong and she would feel the reassuring pain of her toe colliding with the back wooden panel.

No such luck. The jelly that had replaced her legs was slowly liquefying. Her eyes roamed over the huge space, tracing the outline of the huge coral-like support struts soaring towards the ceiling. In the centre of the room, a huge column reared upwards, pulsing with life and… something greater.

There were huge wads of cabling flowing outwards, meshing like a bridge between the industrial and organic.

"Holy Cow!" Adrian exclaimed from behind her.

"Welcome to the TARDIS." Their father said, pride ringing in his voice, "Can go anywhere, any time. That is providing she's in a good mood."

Grasping onto the railing behind her, she choked out, "It's bigger on the inside…"

He rolled his eyes, "What is it with humans and that one particular point? Everybody _has _to comment on the dimensions. I would love it if someone for once simply commented on how nice the architecture is! Is that really too much to ask?"

"Yeah…" Josie said blithely, drawn towards the central console.

"Looks like the TARDIS wants to say hello." He told her, arms folding unconsciously over his battered leather jacket.

"She's alive?" Adrian asked.

"In her own way."

But Josie wasn't paying attention to them. Gently laying her hand against the one of the panels, she felt something stirring in her head, existing unlike anything else could. It tickled at her mind, scampering around like a puppy, eagerly sniffing, learning her mental smell, eager to do something rather than merely sit in a basement. She found her hands tugged towards something that looked remarkably like an old bicycle wheel. Reaching out to spin it forward, she felt another presence entering her mind: _**Not Yet, Josie** _it told her firmly. Regretfully she pulled away, to find her father's hand resting on her shoulder.

"Wha-? Was that you?" she demanded.

He nodded, "The Tardis obviously wants to get going. I haven't seen her react so strongly to someone before."

"I felt her-before you came in…" she explained, confusion flashing across her features.

He smiled, "The Tardis has the habit of getting inside your head. She knows you're my daughter, and Rose's for that matter, so I suppose she feels she has a greater claim on the pair of you."

He nodded over to Adrian, who was standing with his eyes closed, hands splayed against the panel, "See? She's doing the same thing she did to you. Likes to know who she's dealing with."

Suddenly, Adrian's eyes shot open, "Totally cool!" he exclaimed, a wolfish grin spread wide over his features.

"Shall we have a look around the rest of the ship?" their father asked, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

Josie raised an eyebrow, "There's more? How are you doing it?"

"It's called a Trans-dimensional field."

"And that is…" Adrian prompted.

He held his hand flat out, "Think of reality as being like this… and a trans-dimensional field takes it and-" he titled it ninety degrees, "tilts it like this. Can take up as much space as needed, with only a tiny foothold in a little blue box to tie it to what humanity calls reality. Now, anyone for Ice-skating?

IOIOIOI

A.N: Ok, please re-review, I'm hoping this will work better than before (I think it does!) As usual, constructive criticism is welcome, and flames are used for Bomb Alaska (One of my Favourite desserts-You get to set it on fire!)


	4. Mordrid The MiniatureManEating Plant

A.N: What a month! This goes out to all those in New Orleans, may you go forth and find peace after what you've been through (Just try building on higher ground…)

Anyway, thanks go to….

The Angel of Hope, Josh Wales (Hope you re-read, completely changed the second half.), Vampirehelsing, EbonyBeach (o-kay, now we shall all have to abandon Harry, and not speak of him till the next book, K?), Freak (Same as Ebony, But you're right, Glad you like the emerald…), indraraiden, JoeEngland (Your rant is acceptable, and I apologise for it… BUT Read the comment for Izzy. Also hope you've also re-read), englishchick (Thanks for reading!), and Elizabeththebutterfly (Have to say that I agree with you! If you ain't read it yet, then either your library sucks or you're not going to. As a matter of fact, a person blubbered out the end to EVERYONE in my precinct in her impromptu in a speaking comp that was held in my district a few weeks back… Was HILLARIOUS!).

Anyway, once again, thankyou for reading, and go back and re-read chapter three if you haven't, coz it's changed quite a bit, and you won't understand this chappie if you haven't.

Still, thought of the week: Don't cry because it's over, but Smile because it happened.

Take care, and until next time, I hand you the next chapter!

**The Greatest Summer of All Time, Chapter 4- **

**Mordrid the Miniature Man Eating Plant.**

**By _Starlite1_**

Rose leaned against the sink, the washing up finally completed. Her thoughts drifted downstairs, to where her children were finally finding out the truth about themselves. As much as she wished she were down there, she knew this was her husband's department. That didn't stop her wishing.

"Mrs. Tyler?" Anita asked from behind her.

Brought back to earth, she turned around, "Yeah, Anita?"

"Have you got any idea where Josie could be? I've looked everywhere, and can't find a trace of her." She said with a sigh.

Rose paused, her mind working rapidly to come up with something that wouldn't arouse suspicion; "They're out with their father. He had to take them out for their…gift. They should be back sooner or later."

Anita looked at her sceptically, "Right, well, I'd best go up and get my stuff together. Undoubtedly my parents will want me home tonight." With that, she turned around, heading upstairs.

Guilt twinged in Rose's chest. Her heart and head were in heated debate over whether or not to tell the girl of their background, at that particular moment, her head appeared to be winning.

That was until she looked out the window.

IOIOIOIOIOI

Josie had secluded herself away in the conservatory, finding a wrought iron bench hidden away behind a screen of roses. She sat as she usually did, her legs tucked underneath her, as she attempted to absorb the torrent of information that had been inundating her brain. To find out that the majority of what you believed about the world is a falsehood is enough to drive the majority of people to the brink of insanity. For her, it was simply a matter of sorting it out in her mind. Thus, she had managed to convince her father to allow her to remain here.

As her eyes fluttered shut, she felt a slight nudge against her shoulder. Instantly, her eyes shot open as she spun round. Seeing nothing but the topiary behind her, she shrugged, returning to her inner contemplation.

_Tap tap! _She spun around, just in time to see something shoot back into the hedge. Her natural curiosity sparked, she cautiously trod over to where her ears told her the sound had come from. Gingerly peeling back the bushes, her eyes widened as they revealed a rather large Venus Flytrap. It appeared to look at her guiltily.

"Hey…" she said gently, "What are you?" It reached forward slightly, as though begging for a scratch. With a shrug, her fingers rubbed gently on the lower side of the strange plant. It hummed strangely in appreciation. Grinning at the idea, her fingers moved of their own accord.

"Y'know, today so many weird things have happened to me," she commented to the plant, which piqued up slightly at the sound of her voice, "I found out I'm an alien, that my ma and pa aren't really secret agents, thus proving every suspicion I've had since I was little wrong." She sighed, pausing in her scratching, "I'm still a bit dazed, but you're a good listener."

Rather annoyed at loosing the wonderful tummy rub, the plant snapped at her fingers. Hard.

"Ouch!" she said in surprise, deftly thwacking the offender over the snout, "I need them!"

"Well, if you need them, don't go playing with the miniature man-eating fly traps." Her father said in amusement.

She turned around to see his barely contained mirth spread over his face, "Miniature?"

"Yep. Bread down from about twelve feet tall. This little bugger's about half grown. As a matter of fact, I didn't think I had any left. Though I'd got rid of them all…"

The plant gave a squeak of alarm.

"You mean, you're just going to get rid of it?" Josie said in alarm.

He raised an eyebrow; "It just attempted to bite off one of your fingers."

"Your point?" she asked blithely.

He turned his eyes skywards, "Why do they have a thing about strays?" returning his gaze to the errant plant, he made a decision, "Fine, you can keep it. But you're going to have to replant it, feed it, and water it. Got it?"

She grinned, "How many people can say they've got a pet man-eating plant? Thanks, Dad."

"I guess you're going to name it something extremely foolish such as Fido or Felix…"

She shot him a glance, her attention back on the plant; "I was thinking more of Mordrid."

"Mordrid? Whatever next?" He said, turning around, "By the way, pots are in the cupboard just outside the door."

IOIOIOIOIOI

Rose's feet pounded the ground, "Everybody, TARDIS NOW!" She screamed, the familiar feel of panic flooding through her veins.

"What is it Rose?" Jackie demanded, flying out of her door, just as Jack emerged from the bathroom, hastily re-zipping his fly.

One look at her expression told her all they needed to know, "Get to the TARDIS. I've got to get Anita!"

They nearly jumped down the stairs, realising that the situation they had only every hypothesised about had finally become a reality.

Rose flew up the stairs, nearly unhinging the door to her daughter's room, "Run!" she shouted at the girl, who looked shell-shocked to say the least.

Not needing any more prompting, Anita slung the rucksack in front of her over her back, grasping Rose's hand, and they raced out of the room, as the sounds from outside increased, metal boots marching. As they reached the floor, Anita raced to go to the front door.

"No. Down to the basement. Trust me!" Rose said, yanking open the door to the basement, pushing her in front of her. At the bottom, she could see the TARDIS, door left ajar.

At the sight, shock came over Anita's face, "It's…"

"Bigger on the inside? Yeah I know. Had the same reaction. IN!" She ordered, shoving her ungraciously inside, clambering in herself and slamming the door. Only once it was shut did she exhale.

It was then that her husband came through the adjacent door, "What happened?"

"Army. Armoured to the teeth." Rose said through gasps of air.

Instantly he was at her side, "Old enemy?"

She shook her head, "Not from my time. You don't think-?" She asked.

"Let's just get out of here. Your mother and Jack just headed to the kitchen for a cuppa." It was then he noticed Anita, "Oh, welcome to the TARDIS. That's Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. Would give you a proper tour, but we've got an alien Armada on our tails, so we kind of need to get moving."

Anita just nodded mutely, her mouth hanging open in the fashion of a codfish.

"JOSIE!" he bellowed. In under thirty seconds, the prodigal daughter emerged, scratches covering half her arms, sweat mud and blood congealing into a rather unsightly mess.

"Yep?" She asked, her eyes burning from her battles with Mordrid. Looking around, she noticed her best friend, "Oh, Hey!" A sheepish grin spread over her face.

"What have you been doing?" Anita asked, finally finding her voice.

She grinned, "Wrestling a man-eating plant called Mordrid. He doesn't want to go into his new pot."

Rose raised an eyebrow, "Uh…Doctor?"

"What?" he demanded defensively, "_She _found the thing, and insisted on adopting it. You Tyler women and your strays!"

"Excuse me, what's with the Doctor thing?" Josie directed to her father.

"That's my name. Or at least one of them." He answered with a shrug, "Care to take Anita with you to finish your task."

"Riiighht…"She groaned, "Ok, ready?" she directed at Anita, who shrugged.

Together, they raced, in typical teen style out of the room, barely catching the doctor's "Feed him a raw chicken!" as they disappeared into the bowels of the ship/

As they retreated, he told his wife, "She'll realise in about ten seconds. Now, let's get out of here, and let's find out who's disturbing Northern London."

Her eyebrows shot up as she twisted the dials on the console, "And come up with a plan to save our neighbourhood in time for us to get to the Meteor showers of Horus IV?"

"That's basically the plan." He told her, pumping the temporal oscillator, before bashing the console and whisking them away once more through time and space.

A.N: Love it? Hate it? Please review and tell me! Constructive criticism as usual is adored. Flames on the other hand shall be used to cook sweet chilli tenders in industrial quantities!


	5. Tales From the TARDIS Team

A.N: Wow! I think that was the best response I've got for a single chapter! You all inspired me to get this chapter out, and so I was up till the wee hours of the morning, and now I hand it to you for your evaluation.

Thanks go to….EbonyBeach(Apology Accepted hun! Thanks for your wonderful comments!), Joshwales, Freak and Proud (Read down further…: P), Immi-in-the-TARDIS (Thanks for reading!), jane (Can't you just see them as a family???), pinkmarshmello (Well, here's some more. Hope you like it!), Laseri (Too bad! Mordrid's Mine! But if you want to see some of my concept sketches for him, and some others, then tell me in your next review!), Miztressofthenight (I'm happy to oblige! I'm surprised that more people want more Adrian, but I had fun writing him here, and he'll become bigger later on…)

Thought of the week: Those who Love are Unable To Die, For Love is Immortality.

The Greatest Summer of All Time, Chapter 5.

Tales from the TARDIS Team 

By _Starlite1_

Contrary to what the doctor had believed, the full shock of what had occurred didn't hit Anita until approximately twenty seconds after they left the control room.

"Waaaiiittt a second…. What just happened?" She asked, her eyes going wide.

Josie paused for a second, "About two hours ago, I disappeared down here, found out I'm half alien, and then found out that my dad has been keeping a time ship in the basement which is more like a mansion than anything else."

"Oh…. Right…" Anita said absorbing the information, "Half bloody alien?!?"

Josie snorted, "Tell me about it. You think they would have told me! Still at least I know I have two hearts instead of a murmur or something… You're not completely freaked, are you?" she said, pausing suddenly.

Anita's brow creased in thought, "You know what?"

"What?" Josie asked, panicked.

A huge grin broke out over Anita's face, "I think it's Fan-bloody-tastic!"

Relief washed over her, "So what on earth got you down here?"

"Something about an alien armada coming to terrorise the neighbourhood." Anita replied, turning the door handle, gasping at the lush garden laid out before her, "Am I really seeing this?"

"Did you really say Alien armada?" Josie asked back.

"Seems like part of the job." Commented Adrian, coming up behind them.

Josie cocked an eyebrow to her twin, "Where you been?"

A wolfish grin came over his face, "The library first-It's amazing! The entire series of Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, The Kristall quartet…. Then after that, found the kitchen!" A look of bliss passed over his face, "Ten burners, as many knives, dishes, spices and measures as you could ever wish for, as well as heaps you couldn't." He paused, taking in his sister's appearance, "What happened to you?"

"I found a new pet. He's a Miniature Man-Eating Plant, actually quite adorable. But back to the subject at hand: What did you say about Alien armadas being part of the job?"

He shrugged, "Got talking to Uncle Jack. He says that they're usually running from one alien army, hit force, monster or something of the similar. Also found out that they met Harriet Jones during an alien invasion. Rather a good story."

"Well, walk and talk. Mordrid's going to be hard enough to handle without making him wait." Josie said, grinning.

"Where did you come up with a name like Mordrid?" Anita asked, following her best fried around an ornate garden bed, overflowing with strange flowers with silvery leaves.

"He's like a little dragon." Josie explained with a wry grin, "The name seemed to fit."

"But-" Adrian demanded, "Why not something more normal such as…Gus?"

She shrugged, "Didn't fit right. Tell you what, why don't you go and find your own man-eating plant and call it Gus? Coz I like the name Mordrid, and dad _did_ say that I owned him."

Adrian shrugged, "Why not? Care to come, Anita?"

For a moment, Anita paused, "Nah, think I'll give Josie a hand. Good luck anyway."

Disappointment clouded his features for just a moment, "Ah well, never mind, I might as well head to the kitchen, see what's happening. Till we meet again, good ladies!"

"Who are you calling ladies?" Josie challenged to her brother's turned back, to no avail, "Come on, ready to rumble?"

"Hmm… Oh, yeah!" she responded distractedly, following her friend into battle.

IOIOIOIOIOIOI

Two hours later, at what would have constituted dinner time had they not been in temporal orbit, they congregated in the kitchen, where Adrian was putting is the final touches on their evening meal. The scent of strange spices hung in the air, as he removed a seasoned and stuffed chicken from the oven, stirring the pasta sauce, adding one of his new favourite herbs to the gravy and placing the bird on the bench. Hands free, he expertly drained the pasta, the hiss of steam rising up from the sink.

From the door, the Doctor grinned, "Having fun, son?"

"Yeah. You could have told me about this set up ages ago!" He commented, expertly dolling out the pasta onto the plates, quickly following it with sauce, "You want to carve?" He asked.

The Doctor shrugged, "Might as well." Quickly, he expertly began carving the chicken, the meat placed on each plate in a well-rehearsed ritual.

Just as they were placing the last plates on the table, the rest of their strange family piled through the door, undoubtedly drawn to the delectable scents wafting throughout the halls. Josie and Anita's arms were covered with viscous scratches and what appeared to be bite marks, although the majority of the blood and dirt had been hastily washed off, leaving only a triumphant glow in its wake.

Jack waltzed in, a huge smear of axle grease across his torso, "Hey, Doctor, the thermal inductor's bust again!"

He raised an eyebrow, "But I fixed that last week!"

"Well, it's bust again, and I can't get to the root of it." Jack replied with a shrug, "Not that it matters now. This looks amazing."

Any response was cut off by the arrival of both Mrs. Tyler.

"-It's not my fault that aliens decided to invade today, mother!" Rose moaned, her face looking harrowed after spending the entire time since she had arrived attempting to determine the identity of their would-be attackers.

Jackie Tyler turned her eyes heavenward, "I'm not bloody-well blaming you, sweetheart! I was just wondering why they couldn't wait another week and a half. That way Mrs. Forster's silly garden wouldn't have a chance to be judged for the Finals."

An exasperated looked came over Rose's face, "You've got to be kidding me, and _please _remember that Anita does happen to be present."

Anita snorted, "Don't matter. She spends so much time on the garden I'll be glad to see it go. But why a week and a half?"

Jackie looked sullen, "My garden was going to be judged cum Tuesday. My roses were looking so nice too. Still, better than being dead, yeah?"

A sullen mood suddenly permeated the room.

"Right. Shall we eat?" The Doctor finally said with false bravado.

IOIOIOIOI

It had taken quite a few minutes for their usual level of conversation to return after Jackie's outburst. Yet the wait was worth it. It wasn't long until the three newcomers, and to a lesser extent Jackie were treated to the enrapturing tales of the trio's escapades.

"Anyway, You mother ended up hanging from a barrage balloon, huge Union Jack, excuse the pun, plastered across her chest, riding up though it was, as the Germans were blasting bombs left, right and centre…" Jack began.

"And here comes the part where mister fancy-pants here." Rose continued, lazily pointing a drumstick towards said person, "With an invisible ship. Catches me in his fancy tractor beam, and asks me to turn my phone off, and hang on. Now, being in mid-air over London does not give a person much in the way of hand holds."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Boy! Did I get an ear full! Of course, soon as the teleporter finished she fainted dead away…"

Rose glared at him, ignoring the gleeful guffaws of her husband, "You swore you'd never tell!"

He shrugged, "They deserve to hear it."

A wicked smile came over Rose's face, "Well I might just tell about that time…"

"NO!!!" both Jack and the Doctor exclaimed in panic.

She dramatically put a hand over her face, "Loss of a good story, that. Still, might as well tell you lot about the Slitheen."

Jackie shuddered in her seat, "Ugh! They were horrid! Even worse the second time around…"

Turning to the three younger members of their party, Rose quickly explained, "Aliens from the planet Raxicoricolfallpretorius. Took me nearly twelve months to say that right. Back on track, they tried to take over the government. It was about three days after I'd met your father, and he'd landed us back in London so I could pick up a few things. Somehow he'd managed to land us out by a year…"

Jackie interrupted, "I could have killed him. For all he's a ruddy Time Lord, he's got bugger all sense of time..."

Unconsciously the Doctor rubbed his cheek, "Oi! That slap was bad enough!"

"To continue the story!" Rose interrupted, her voice drowning out the others in a desperate attempt to avoid confrontation, "An alien ship ended up crash-landing, took out Big Ben, which we'll have to show you at some point, and landed in the Thames. Of course, he ended up like a child in the sweet shop-"

"-Some things never change…" Jackie muttered with a roll of her eyes

"Anyway, we get back, only to find that the blokes I was working for at the time, Torchwood, Had called up me and your grandfather, and had sent cars to take us to Number 10-"

"And I decided to tag along to the party, Where we encountered the entire government, flayed and made into skin suits. They were forever farting, come to think of it…" The Doctor commented airily.

"Only person left is Harriet Jones, MP Flydale North. Will never forget that. Still, whilst he's downstairs, we end up locked in the cabinet room, seeing the head of the Military disembowelled. I suggest you avoid it at all costs. Doesn't take too long until the Doctor joins us and we find ourselves cornered."

"Of course," Interjected Jackie, "All the while, another troupe of them is trying to get their hands on us back at home- Me, and your Uncles Mickey, Zach and Jake that is. So we use Zach's supersoakers and load them up with the entirety of Mickey's prized pickle and gherkin collection. An' let me tell you! He was not happy with us…"

Josie raised an eyebrow, "You kissed this bloke?"

Her father grinned, "I said exactly the same thing. Now Mickey isn't the brightest spark in the universe, but he did have a way with computers. Under my expert guidance he managed to hack into the defence force computers. Firing two missiles at number ten… Not something that everyone can say they've done, but he did a good enough job on it."

"Better the second time around." Rose retorted with a grin.

The Doctor shrugged, "Practise makes perfect. As I'm sure you know…" He said, grinning at her cheekily, a look which she happily reciprocated.

"Eeeeww!" Adrian moaned, "Enough with the lovey-dovey eyes!"

"To continue on, Downing Street exploded around us, we somehow get out and arrived home in time for breakfast." Rose concluded.

"And then we got roped into dinner…" The Doctor added.

"Oi!" Jackie grumbled, "Don't remember you complaining!"

"Sure, but we didn't hang around much longer afterwards." Rose defended.

"Yeah. We still were full time wanders then." The Doctor replied.

Anita asked curiously, "What changed?"

"We got lucky. Quite a few times. But in the end it took an army of tin cans to make us realise it." He began, shuddering as did Jack and Rose, "It was only the TARDIS' intervention that stopped it all ending in a much different way."

"Regeneration." Adrian supplied, shrugging at their surprised expressions, "Read about it in the Library."

"Exactly. Instead, we ended up having you two." Rose said, fixing her husband with the special grin reserved only for him.

"And that is a story that we shall save for later!" The Doctor told them, "Now it's time for all Time Lords, Ladies, and Lassies to find their beds. Tomorrow's going to be a big day."

Reluctantly, they all stood, depositing their plates in the recycling, and heading out into the corridor. Jackie and Jack both bid them farewell, heading off towards their already established rooms.

"Come on." The Doctor told them, leading the way down the corridor. Two rights, a left, and down a slightly Gothic corridor, they found themselves in a dead end, with four doors routing off it.

"One room each, no fighting." He told them sternly, "Sleep tight." He said, walking down the corridor only to suddenly find himself rugby tackled to the ground. With a laugh, he embraced them all, thanking whoever was listening for blessing him with them.

IOIOIOIOI

The shower was blissful to Josie's scratched skin, the fat water droplets pounding down her back, relaxing the muscles tensed by battling Mordrid. She quickly lathered up the Lavender shower gel, before reluctantly leaving the water stream. Grasping one of the enormous towels from the rail, her feet padded gently over the marble towards the chests of draws. Not knowing completely what to expect, her eyes widened at the numerous piles of nightshirts, underwear, jeans and tank tops that inhabited the draws. Cautiously, she selected what appeared to be comfortable garments, and hastily dressed. Looking around the room, she couldn't help but smile. If she'd ever wanted a room other than her own, this would have been it. The dominating feature was the huge four-poster bed in the centre of the room, adorned with dozens of pillows and rich red drapes. Two high-backed chairs were in front of a roaring fire, and bookshelves dominated the entire wall opposite the entry to the bathroom. She had glanced a copy of the Harry Potter books there, including the seventh, a fact that she gleefully exalted in. The world had been waiting on baited breath for thirteen years for the release of the book, and now she had a copy sitting right in front of her. If it hadn't been for the mind-numbing exhaustion that enveloped her, she would have snatched it from the shelves and spent the entire night reading it.

Reluctantly, she resisted the temptation to grab it, instead crawling beneath crisp linen sheets. Laying back on the pillow, she stared up into the canopy, mulling over the events of the day. As far as birthdays went, this one took the cake. Idly her fingers toyed with her friendship bracelet. It had definitely been a strange day. Her eyes slowly drifted shut as the strange double beat of her heart- no, it was hearts she drowsily reminded herself-lulled her off to sleep. Little did she know what lay ahead…

IOIOIOIOIOIOI

AN: So… Did you like it??? Did you hate it??? Feedback is my vice, and constructive criticism is welcomed, but flames shall be used to light Poi! (A Maori Martial art-involves swinging flaming projectiles: P)


	6. Halfway between the Gutters & the Stars

A.N: I'm on a roll! Three chapters out in just over a week! Hope that your lives are all fantastic. As usual, thanks go to….EbonyBeach, pinkmarshmellow (So Glad I've got them in character!), freak and proud (Hmm… I'll consider it…), Dory Shotgun (It's sooo nice, just make sure you cook the damper right, or it upsets your stomach :P), Joshwales, and Laseri (I zip my lip, and try desperately to get page builder to work : S If anybody knows how to get files to upload so they're _accessible,_ I would love to hear from you!)

Also, I'm dedicating this chapter to two of my closest friends, BaronVonBron and Jess the Meerkat, who help me so much everyday, and in particular earn credit for many of the names in this instalment.

Enough from me!

Thought of the Day: All Courage comes from daring to begin.

**The Greatest Summer of All Time,**

**Chapter 6- Halfway between the Gutters and the Stars**

**By Starlite1**

" _Ring a ring a rose-y, _

_A Pocket full of poesy._

_A tissue! A Tissue, _

_They all fall down!"_

Tam Senka watched the small figure from the top of the hill, her voice calling out hauntingly through the smoke-filled air, lost and alone. The only thing permeating the air was the harsh red glow of the fires where the forsaken were burnt, stretching along the horizon for as far as the eye could see, their unholy filth spilling into the atmosphere, only to settle and roll oilily across the River Aldonreigh. Never would they know the cool envelopment of the grave, slumbering beneath consecrated ground. Their flesh was singed into oblivion, taking with it the unhallowed curse that reft through the land.

Desperation hung over their valley, anxiously awaiting to see where the Angel of Death would next lay his hand, taking yet another life from this world. There was not a street, hamlet or manor whom had not felt his cold grasp of recent times. Quacks roamed the streets, their exercises in futility giving meagre solace to the masses whilst doing nothing whatsoever to stem the rolling tide of destruction.

Rumours had reached them through the gipsy traders of his minions, who tore across the land, leaving only smouldering husks in their wake. Around their campfires at night, there were whispers of their passing, terrified tales of creatures with the arms of an octopus, the talons of an eagle and a taste for mortal flesh.

Unable to take the sight any longer, he resumed his brisk pace down to the Manor of the town, lugging the huge load of apples. It had been close to a fortnight since the Mistress had removed herself from the house, complaining of headaches. As much as the staff may wish to deny it, there could be no passing it off merely as a mere case of melancholy. The plague had finally touched their beloved home. As he made his way down the hill, his breath wheezed in his chest, compounded by the vile stench suspended in the air.

Clambering over the fence, he stole across the yard, pushing the heavy oak door and entering into the kitchen. Relief washed through him, and he was able to momentarily forget about the curse. Looking around, he grinned at the chaotic scene in front of him. Servants ran back and forth, carrying steaming pots and pans, concocting the numerous dishes for the fast-approaching evening meal. A suckling pig was roasting on the spit, whilst Jack struggled vainly to keep it turning. Spotting the cook, he quickly ducked and dodged his way through the melee of chaos to deliver his load.

"Here Kat, as promised." He told her, dumping his satchel of apples on the bench.

She barely looked away from the peacock being prepared for roasting, "Thank you, Senka. The mistress will be happy to see these."

"Do you know if she is faring better?" He asked, skiving an apple quickly, receiving a glare from her.

"No, she is deteriorating, and the Master finds himself in a continually worsening state of worry. Now all we can do is pray for a solution. Now be off with you!"

With a quick grin, he dived once more into the melee, barely escaping burns as he made his way to the servant's corridor. Feeling the cool, musty air rolling over him was a welcome relief from the cramped spaces of the kitchen. Greasy torches dipped in pitch cast a smoky, flickering light over the sandstone corridors. At one end of the hall lay the entrance to the main hall, where the household would eat the evening meal. At the other end lay a rickety stairway, leading up into the staff's quarters and down to the washing room. To this he made his way, knowing his mamma would undoubtedly be downstairs, working away to boil the linens.

Sure enough, after traversing the precarious stairs, he found her, kneeling over a basin of scathing water, her hands pounding the cloth relentlessly. The sound was as soothing as a mug of warm cider, and he paused for a second in the door, simply listening to the steady sloshing.

"I do know you're there, Senka." She said quietly, not deterring from her work.

He smiled, coming out to sit next to her, "Bongiorno, Mamma."

At that she paused, "You do not know how much it pleases me to hear the language of my native land falling from your lips." She told him, fondly wrapping an arm around him.

"Can you tell me a story of your homeland, Mamma?" he asked her excitedly, his violet eyes crinkling at the corners in anticipation.

Her hands returned to her work, her lips pursed in thought, "Did I ever tell you about the city of glowing light?"

Senka shrugged, "Not really. You have mentioned it, yet never spoken of it properly."

"Very well," she said with a sigh, "You are old enough now to hear of it…Many people lived in the city-"

"More than in our village?" Senka asked curiously.

She smiled gently, "Millions more. People everywhere, laughing and shouting. Huge metal boxes on wheels flying every which way, and buildings made of glass and metal which rose so high they could touch the sky. But it was after dusk that the city was at its most beautiful. Behind the glass were millions of lights, out shining the brightest stars in the sky. There, anything was possible."

"Even apple pie every day?" He asked, eyes wide.

She laughed, her voice ringing like a bird, "Oh yes, but if you had it every day, you would soon be sick of it. Regardless, there were many more things, some far nicer than even apple pie. There were so many scents and flavours on the air that you almost drowned beneath them. For a time I lived there, with my friend Kashmayana. She would have loved you. At night, the lights spread out below us akin to a magic carpet. Some nights, we would even fall asleep watching the lights." A wistful expression for a second, "There are nights when I miss hearing the sounds of the traffic…"

"Then why did you leave?" He asked.

"I didn't choose to leave." She told him bitterly, "The one who sired you stole me from there, and left me here. Only good thing he ever gave me was you."

Impulsively, he hugged her, "And you'll always have me."

"And for that I am grateful." She replied.

Suddenly a thought struck him, "Could the people from the city of light help us?"

A melancholic look came over her, "They are far, far away."

"Further away than Jossen?"

"Much, much further away. Far too far to even know about us, let alone help. Now, come and help me with these sheets. They need washing, lest the mistress fall into an even worse state."

That night, Senka's sleep was filled with queer metal birds, boxes that raced faster than the Master's chariot, and glimpses of a strange girl racing through narrow streets, her dusky blonde hair always just out of reach…

That was until a blood-curdling scream reft through the still of night.

IOIOIOIOIOI

The Doctor bolted upright, breathing heavily.

Beside him, Rose blearily opened her eyes, "What'smatter?" She mumbled.

He turned to look at her, "Those aliens. Did they happen to have fangs, red, glowing eyes, and eight limbs?"

"Armed to the teeth? That's them. Can I go back to sleep?" she moaned, "Some of us do need our beauty rest, y'know."

"That's it! They're Z'keth!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

She sat up, "Who're they?"

"A warrior race who never really got too far-Until now…"He said, trailing off in thought.

Rose sighed, "Well, we can't do anything until morning. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I would love to try to obtain a few more hours sleep before we go careening off into tribulation. "

Suddenly a mischievous gleam entered his eye, "I can think of something more exciting to do…" He told her before deftly claiming her lips.

IOIOIOI 

Grasping for purchase in the waking world, Adrian's sleep addled mind dragged him into consciousness. Deep hazel eyes blinked, adjusting to the ambient light in the room whilst trying to remove the final vestiges of sleep from his eyes. After a moment of utter confusion at not seeing the familiar Vintage Green Day American Idiot posters beside his head, he realised he was on board the Tardis. Memories from yesterday flooded him, and for a self-indulgent moment relished in the warmth of the heavy duvet. Glancing at his watch, which was remarkably still working, he decided to rise, regardless that it was nearly half an hour before he usually got up. On his way to the bathroom, he randomly selected a shirt, jeans and a belt from the curiously filled draws.

Within minutes he was ready to face the day, his unruly brown hair tamed into something resembling neat, face scrubbed clean, teeth brushed and generally looking mildly acceptable. On his way through, he randomly selected a book from the shelves, surprised to find it to be the Green Day cookbook of Culinary Catastrophe, flicking through the pages as he headed out into the corridor, not glancing up as he shut the door, and turned around to head to the kitchen.

Consequently, he crashed headlong into Anita. Both went tumbling to the ground in a failing mass of limbs.

"Oi! Watch it, bony!" Anita grumbled, desperately trying to extract herself from their precarious situation with no success whatsoever.

"Who are you calling bony, bony!" He demanded, wincing as an elbow connected with his side.

Enraged, she screamed, "You!"

It was at that precise moment that Josie chose to enter the room, her dusky hair still ruffled and shirt rumpled, "What the _heck _is going on!" She shouted, drowning out her brother's retort.

Momentarily stunned by the interruption, the pair found themselves in an extremely awkward situation. At the sight of the two, Josie was unable to contain a slight snigger, earning her glares from both parties.

Sighing, and resisting the urge to break down into full blown gales of laughter, she extended a hand to Anita, who gratefully took it, extricating herself from her best friend's brother, jabbing him in the process. Together the girls managed to right Adrian, who shot a glare at Anita.

"Thanks for the elbow." He muttered.

"Pleasure's all mine." Anita bit back.

"What happened?" Josie asked in exasperation.

Adrian answered sharply, "We collided."

"Only coz Mr. Genius here wasn't looking where he was going." Anita rebutted.

Adrian could only glare at her.

Burying her head in her hands, Josie muttered, "Who cares? I can smell breakfast, and, quite frankly, I'm hungry. So might I suggest you leave your brawling until later?" With that, she stalked off, grumbling until she was out of sight.

"What's wrong with her?" Adrian asked, stunned for the second time in just as many minutes.

Anita shrugged, "Beats me…"

IOIOIOIOI

Thunderclouds were rolling around her head, as she stared moodily into her Weet-bix. Her ominous mood reverberated around the room, making the Doctor wince as he entered the kitchen. Looking to his wife, she merely glanced up from her own breakfast and shrugged. Going over to the pot, he poured himself a cuppa, returning with it in hand to the table, placing a tender kiss on Rose's lips as he went past.

"Morning handsome." She said.

"Morning, beautiful." He replied, sitting in his seat and grabbing a banana from the fruit basket.

Just then, Jack walked in, a huge grin on his face. The second he was over the threshold, his cheerful demeanour disappeared as though he had run face first in to a brick wall.

_What's with her? _His look asked the Doctor. He merely shrugged in reply.

Turning to Rose for an answer, all he got was a mysterious glance that said, _Leave it, secret women's business._

Out loud he simply asked, "What are we doing today?"

"Finding out what the Z'keth want with us, then forming a plan of action." The doctor said, casually peeling his banana.

Recognition flashed on Jack's face, "The Z'keth? I had a run-in with them when I was a rookie, late thirtieth century. Not the nicest of races, and definitely not the brightest. Rather enjoyed dividing and conquering actually, but not much else. Also, they all had _really _bad breath!"

The last statement caused Rose to snort into her cereal. The Doctor raised an eyebrow, "Right…Have no clue why we needed to know about their pandemic of halitosis, but the other information is good." He took a bite of his banana, munching thoughtfully as he contemplated the situation.

"I'm guessing they're not supposed to be there." Jack surmised.

"Damned right. Question is why they are there." He sighed, "I suggest we see what's in the library. Maybe there might be something there. I'm not too sure about the Tardis's database."

"Let me grab some food, and then I'm all yours." Jack said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

The Doctor merely rolled his eyes.

IOIOIOIOIOI

A.N: So… Did you like? Did you hate? Reviews will get me through exams, which are coming up soon. Constructive criticism is welcomed, and flames shall be used for doing some metal inlaying on the wooden box I'm currently carving!


	7. Potential

A.N: Hey folks! Sorry about the delay in updating. Had first of a dozen exams Saturday, now just have two weeks to study before go through the main body of them. Still, thanks must go to….EbonyBeach (thanks for the heads up, hope u like this!), pinkmarshmello( Sorry about loosing you, but it was nessecary. Would have been funny if he had, but this is a PG rated fic, thanks :P), freak and proud (good luck with your exams!), jane (Weetbix _are _the ultimate wonderfood!), Laseri (You'll just have to wait and see… Still sorry it's going so slow, but I'm setting up heaps of things here, and they need to be done in the greater scheme of things, but action _is _coming in a chappie or two, so hold on!), Joshwales (Right, shall _try_ to up the family), and Dory Shotgun (All shall be revealed in good time, and good luck!)

Ah well, this goes out to all those slogging through the examination treadmill-may fortune watch over you and guide you on your way!

Until next time, cya!

Thought of the week: Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

The Greatest Summer of All Time, Chapter 7.

Potential.

By _Starlite1_

Copious amounts of tea later, Jack and the Doctor were becoming sick of the massive interior of the library. Desperate to get away from the titanic stack of books suggested by the TARDIS, So far, none of them had given them anything of any use.

Exasperated, Jack was browsing for something other than the painfully irksome text that had occupied the past eight hours. Abruptly, his eyes were caught by a piece of parchment left lying upon the shelf. Intrigued, he picked up the aged document, marvelling at the intricate calligraphy swirling and morphing over the page, ensnaring a verse within it.

"Hey Doctor?" Jack asked the Doctor nonchalantly, "What's a Sage?"

"Sage? Scholar, Philosopher… What have you found?" He asked.

Jack shrugged, "Just found this. Sounds a bit like a prophecy."

"Well, let's hear it then." The Doctor said, folding his arms across his chest.

Jack cleared his throat:

"_Brought here from forgotten land, _

_Await the day the Tempest stand_

_Upon the shores of Aldonreigh, _

_The only one to heed our cry._

_To her right, Protector will stand._

_Flame remains eternally at hand._

_The Sage will stand to her left, _

_Of courage they shan't be bereft._

_Only when the four unite _

_Shall it end our darkest night,_

_Thus, Take heed in times bereft,_

_When naught but hope is all that's left._

_Await the coming of daybreak _

_Following after in her wake._ "

The Doctor sighed, "Nice, but what does it have to do with the Z'keth?"

"You're the brainy one here, Doc, not me." Jack replied with a shrug.

He was prevented from replying by the entire room pitching heavily starboard. Instantly, the books went careening on the floor, mercifully remaining separated, whist both the room's occupants were sent sprawling on the ground.

"We've landed!" The Doctor exclaimed, sitting up.

Jack groaned, "Apparently so… I'm guessing that shouldn't have happened."

"Right in one." He told his companion, hauling himself up, "Let's see what's happened."

Accepting the proffered hand, Jack righted himself, and the pair dashed to the control room.

IOIOIOIOI

"What was that!" Anita demanded, dropping the book to the grass, head snapping toward the twins.

The exchanged a look over the top of Mordrid, who turned towards his mistress in annoyance and curiosity, a liana snaking out to attempt to entwine her fingers.

Barely noticing the fact, Josie shrugged worriedly, "No clue. We need to find out."

Abandoning their activities, they sprinted out of the conservatory, swerving through the kindly re-arranged corridors. Turning the corner near the kitchen, the troublesome trio found themselves nearly colliding headlong with Jack and the Doctor.

"Oi! Watch it!" Josie snapped, tripping over her feet.

Resuming their breakneck pace, the Doctor retorted, "Watch it yourself!"

Their feet pounded on the grating of the Control room like a thunderstorm. Rose and Jackie spun around at the sound, shocked at the cacophony their personal stampede created.

"What happened!" Rose asked, before the Doctor could open his mouth, " I can't see what could have made her land!"

Instantly, he and Jack were at the console, figures and statistics flying rapidly between the trio, the looks of puzzlement only increasing. Buttons were pressed and depressed with no result.

The Doctor groaned, leaning his head on Rose's shoulder, "Guess the only thing we can do is to poke our heads out the door and see where we are… the TARDIS obviously wants us to be here, only question is why…"

Turning to the youngsters, he indicated the door, "If you want, it's yours."

Automatically, the three grasped hands, and walked down the walkway. Using his free hand, Adrian gingerly pried open the door. Their noses were instantly assaulted by a stench unlike they had ever encountered before. Flinching slightly, they

instinctively drew breath, before simultaneously stepping out onto the damp, mossy ground. They glanced at each other for reassurance, the shock of what they had just done washing over them.

Gazing over the valley spread out in front of them, their attention was instantly focused on the huge smoking fires on the other edge of the valley.

"Burning the dead." The Doctor said quietly behind them, "Plague. Many of them never stood a chance. Part of the risks of the Middle ages. They burnt the dead to try and protect the living. Still it managed to take a third of Europe with it before it was finished."

Anita looked at it, sorrow in her eyes, "Why?"

The Doctor merely shrugged, "It just happened that an opportunistic virus became lucky, then rose to become one of the most deadly killers on the planet. Only question is why we're here. Now, might I suggest we give you all a shot, and some more suitable clothing."

Josie's eyes went wide, "You mean-?"

"Well, if you went waltzing in there with your jeans and tank top, chances are that you'd be burnt at the stake as a witch, and if you don't have a shot, there's a chance you could get the plague. For all the efficiency of Gallifreyan biology, even a Time Lord's immune system can't stand up to it without some assistance."

Involuntarily, Josie shuddered, before resignedly returning inside.

IOIOIOIOIOI

Anita couldn't help but giggle at the dark mutterings coming from the back of the closet, as numerous objects were thrown unceremoniously to the ground. Obviously the period costume was proving to be a challenge to her dear friend.

"Arrgh!" Josie screamed, storming out with her dress unceremoniously tangled around her torso, "I can't get into this stupid thing!"

Calmly raising an eyebrow, she replied, "You've never had a way with dresses. You need a hand?"

Shooting an icy stare at her best friend, Josie resignedly accepted her fate. Twisting the heavy folds of fabric around the right way, she managed to pull it down to sit properly.

"Turn around, I need to do it up." Anita said.

Begrudgingly, Josie spun around, muttering, "I don't see why they have to be so _uncomfortable!_"

Yanking the drawstrings in annoyance, Anita demanded, "What's gotten into you today? You've been snarling at everyone, you're snappish, short tempered, and damned well not that pleasant to be around."

Josie shrugged, "It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does."

"No it doesn't."

She looked at him in exasperation, "Fine, keep your secrets."

IOIOIOIOIOI

They were prepared for the stench that assaulted their noses this time. Clustering together next to the TARDIS whilst the Doctor locked up, cloaks were pulled tighter around their bodies in an attempt to escape the wind that snarled around their legs, blasting off the lake below them to howl through the valley in an icy furore. Below them lay a small hamlet, where people in dirty, coarse sackcloth and hessian bustled about their daily lives, heedless of the strangers atop the hill.

"All ready to go then?" The Doctor asked, unconsciously adjusting his leather jacket before grasping his wife's hand.

Josie stared at him in shock, "What about period costume! If you're going out wearing that blasted old thing, then why do we have to endure these!"

Rose replied in his stead, "He has the uncanny ability to blend in. Don't worry, I gave him a hard time about it as well."

"Just wait until Ancient Egypt!" Jack promised, a mischievous gleam in his eyes, "Now come on, or else we'll loose him."

Begrudgingly, Josie followed the steadily retreating form of her father down the hill, and into the hamlet.

IOIOIOIOIOIOI

Senka's blade sliced through the air, his feet dancing nimbly over the cobbles of the courtyard, parrying, dodging and hacking at invisible enemies as his mind filtered upstairs to where his mother and the witch Megan were attempting to heal her of the horrid fever that had taken her close to midnight. Now, the entire house was on edge, awaiting some news, good or bad as to their progress.

Exasperated from waiting, he furiously stabbed at the air, wishing for _something_ to happen to break the endless tension that had entered the hamlet. Lunging as he pirouetted around, a huge jolt ricocheted up his arm as his sword halted abruptly. Instantly he looked to the end of his sword, to find a pair of icy blue orbs staring calmly at him.

"It would serve you well to watch where you place your weapon, sir." She stated, deftly flicking the sword away from his stunned hand, sending it clattering across the courtyard, "You may end up injuring some unfortunate person."

Instantly his mouth went dry, looking at the girl who stood before him, "How-?"

She shrugged, "Quick reflexes."

"I'm the best swordsman in the village." He said in astonishment, "And you stopped me…"

"I apologise for interrupting your training, sir. If you will excuse me, I must find my family." She turned around, heading back towards the archway.

Suddenly snapped out of the spell, he shouted, "Wait! May I have your name, at least?"

She paused, turning her head, "Josephine. And you are…"

"Senka. Tam Senka." He answered hurriedly.

With a nod she said, "Well, until later then, Tam Senka." And she was gone.

Alone once more, he stumbled over to where his sword lay on the ground. Gingerly picking it up and examining its length, he couldn't help but shake his head, noting the dents the girl had caused. The thought of her gave him pause. There was something strange about her, and he would be damned if he'd known what it was.

Knowing that he was far too distracted to attempt more practice, he stowed his weapon in the armoury, before heading into the corridors once more.

IOIOIOI

Senka's mother was slumped against one of the tables in the main hall, her jaded eyes dark from lack of slumber, her dark curls laying limp against her back. At the sound of footsteps, she was barely able to gather enough strength to raise her head before she collapsed back onto the table.

Wincing at seeing her in such a state, Senka sat down beside her, inquiring, "Mamma, why don't you go to bed?"

Blearily opening an eye, she mumbled, "It's the middle of the day…Can't. The Mistress needs help."

Senka sighed, realising the futility of arguing with her, "I just met the most interesting person in the practice yard." He remarked, "Didn't seem to be from around here. Said her name was Josephine…"

Sitting bolt upright, she stared across at him, "now _that _is a name I haven't heard in many a summer…Where did you say that you met her?"

"Down in the exercise yards. Came out of nowhere, and stopped my blade dead. Never thought I would see the day…"He said bleakly.

"Enough bemoaning the events. You are not past twelve, so it was bound to happen sooner or later. As for the girl, I have a funny feeling we shall be seeing more of her in the near future. Now-"

Suddenly a girl came sprinting into the room, her forehead damp with perspiration

"Lady Lucy, the Mistress-!" she gasped.

Instantly she was on her feet, "Speak, girl!"

"She's gone."

IOIOIOIOIOI

A.N: So what do you think? Please read and review, and I'm sorry if it seems a bit slow, but it is necessary in the greater scheme of things. Anyway, Reviews are even better than sugar straight from the sugar bow, constructive criticism is extremely helpful, and flames shall be used for bassoon repairs (You'd be surprised how handy flames are when it comes to rickety instruments…) So until next time, keep smilin'!


	8. Tolling Lamentation

A.N: Should be studying, but have decided to give you all another chapter :P. Still, thanks must go to…

**Freak and Proud **(Much to my mother's chagrin, I basically live on the BBC Doctor Who page. THEY NEED NEW PICTURES!),** Joshwales, James Jago **(Wow! Can't believe you bothered to review three times! Still, that dagger will show up again… Jackie has got a key, but that was mainly coz she was always taking care of the twins before this, and I'm honoured you think I've got them all right!) And **Dory Shotgun** (Atm, I'm doing 9 subjects, but then six of them have extra exams, so that would mean I'll actually be doing… 15 exams, not counting the one I sat on Sat… Good Luck for Yours!)

Anyway, Thanks to everyone else who read, but I would LOVE to hear from you. Till next time, Cya!

Thought of the week: All our dreams can come true, if only we have the courage to pursue them.

The Greatest Summer of All Time, Chapter 8

Tolling Lamentation

By _Starlite1_

"Hey!" Josie called out across the square, jogging slightly over to where her father was perched on the edge of a wagon.

"Find anything interesting?" The Doctor asked as she fell in beside him.

Her forehead creased slightly in concentration, "Nothing really. Anyone find anything else?"

"You're the first back." He replied.

"But now not the only." Added Rose, coming up behind her husband, giving his hand a tight squeeze.

He smiled at her, "Any luck?"

Balancing beside him, she related, "Well, I found that a bronze coin will get me four loaves of bread, that the woman over at the stall on the other side of the square is expecting her fourteenth child come summer, that there is a visiting monk from the north, and, most importantly, the Mistress of the Manor has fallen extremely ill."

"Not bad. What's the deal with the mistress?" he inquired.

She shrugged, "Absolutely adored. She supposedly has everything from the flu to the consumption to the plague. The one thing that everyone seems to be able to agree on is that she is not expected to see another day."

As if to echo her words,a great tolling echoed out from the bell tower suddenly, reverberating through the square as everyone fell into a stunned silence. A second toll followed, joining the melancholic death knell. As tears began to fall from the eyes of those around them, the heavens joined in, weeping for a life lost. Slowly the people moved into the shelter of the walkways, the wind suddenly picking up to howl through the square with a mournful cry.

IOIOIOI

The rain continued to beat against the walls of the keep throughout the afternoon, rattling the thin shards of glass and hammering the doors. Torches guttered in drafts, spluttering their unsteady illumination across the endless stone corridors.

In the Chapel, the Mistress lay in state, her face pale and finally peaceful. Around her face was a cloud of once lustrous auburn hair, framing her finely boned face. An emerald shroud covered her emaciated figure, her hands crossed gently over her breast, clasping a lock of hemlock and a pewter medallion, an echo reaching through the ages to send her to her final resting place.

Silently walking up the side of the cavernous hall, a great sense of sadness washed over her, tearing at the last vestiges of control left to her. Coming to the alter, she lit a candle, adding to the dozens already there, before whispering softly, _"I'm sorry I failed you, Mistress."_

"How so?" Asked a voice quietly behind her.

"She saved me, and I couldn't save her in return." She replied, not noticing the tears that fell softly down her face.

A strong, reassuring hand clasped her shoulder, "Want to talk about it?"

"What good would it do? It wouldn't change the fact that I should have been able to save her!" she replied miserably.

"Maybe it would help you, and I wouldn't mind hearing the story myself."

She chuckled humourlessly, "Close to thirteen years ago, some _bastard _abducted me from my home, and I'd rather not go into detail about what he did to me. Still, he dumped me in the Aldonreigh, and she found me half-drowned. If she hadn't found me, I would have died from hypothermia. As it was, it took me nearly six months to recover. By that time I found I had another problem. Unmarried and pregnant is not what you want to be in the m- I mean in a good Christian society… Anyway, to continue, she offered me a place on her staff as one of her handmaids, and knowing I had little other choice, I accepted. So for the past 12 years, I've lived here, and she's been a friend, a confidant, as I was to her. At home, I was training as a healer, and although I gave up hope of returning home long ago, here my skills are actually worth something. But for all my training, I was unable to help her." She choked back a sob, finally surrendering to the waves of grief.

IOIOI

Dusk was upon them by the time the anguish was spent from her soul.

"Look…" her companion said, indicating the window.

Somehow the sun had managed to battle through the clouds, and a single beam had managed to break through to the Chapel windows, bathing the altar in the golden light of sunset, and setting the clouds aflame.

"Thank you." She said, finally turning to look at her companion.

"No worries." He said, "I'm glad I could be of help. I'm Jack, by the way. Jack Harkness"

"Tam Lucia," she replied, grasping the proffered hand, "Or more commonly known as Lucy around here. No-one can get the accent right, and I don't fancy spending half my days going around correcting people."

He turned to look at her, eyes like sapphires staring at her, "So is Tam your family name? Because I've never heard of anyone having that name arrangement, or at least in this part of the world."

She shrugged, "As I said, I'm a _very _long way from home…" She drifted off, "How about you?"

He smiled mysteriously, "I'm rather close to home at the moment, but at the same time rather far away."

"How does that work?" she inquired.

"That's for me to know, and for you to figure out."

"Right then. Are you staying for the wake?"

"What wake?"

She paused, mentally berating herself, "Maybe that was the wrong word. A feast for all to celebrate her life."

"A proper send-off" he extrapolated.

She smiled, "That pretty much describes it. Will you and your family attend?"

Pausing momentarily, "I'm sure that they will be honoured."

"Well, once you have found them, just follow the crowds. As I said, everyone should be in attendance, so there'll be no problem for you to find your way."

"Thank you." He told her gratefully.

"I'm the one who should be thanking you."

"Until later, then."

IOIOIOIOI

"Jack!" Lucy called over the melee of conversation, "Over here."

Spotting her at the far table, Jack quickly navigated his way through the crowd over to where she was sitting, the rest of the Tyler troupe following soon after.

"Good evening, Ma'am." He said, "You faring better?"

She smiled, "Indeed. Might I introduce my son, Senka." Indicating the boy next to her.

"Pleased to meet you, Senka." Offering his hand.

Senka paused momentarily before accepting, "Likewise, Jack."

"And now let me introduce my own family: This is the Doctor, his wife and my surrogate sister Rose, and their children Adrian, Josephine and Anita."

Introductions were exchanged quickly as a glass was tapped for silence.

"I know you!"Senka hissed across the table at Josie.

"Very few people don't." She hissed back, before the adults silenced them.

All eyes fell upon the head table, where the master stood, clothed entirely in black and awaiting the congregation. His long brown hair was just showing the first tinges of grey at the temples, yet his eyes seemed so much older. Although he attempted to stand tall, there was a slump of defeat in his broad-set shoulders.

"I bid thee all a good Eventide. We have come here today to pay our final respects to the Mistress of this house, who was taken from us this day. More so than that, we have come to celebrate her life. Thus, I request you raise your glasses to Departing Friends."

"To Departing Friends." Came the murmur of acquiescence.

As the master returned to his seat once more, the kitchen staff began moving once more, placing numerous dishes on the tables before taking their seats. After a moment for Grace, the meal began.

IOIOIOIOI

As soon as the last plate left the hall, Lucy stood up, unconsciously adjusting her shawl around her shoulders. Standing in the guttering candlelight, her face became a contrast between light and shadow. Slowly her throat opened, and she began to sing:

"_Why does life lead us blind?  
Why are we left behind?  
The dawn it calls unto me,  
Let my love shine down on thee._

_Daylight falls upon my face  
Let me feel your warm embrace.  
Heed my cry from the sky.  
Let my fly once more sky-high._

_One final kiss 'fore we part  
To hold eternally in my heart  
Forever I will hold you near  
Forever I will hold you dear._"

As the last notes died away, a stunned silence hung over the hall. Quickly, brushing away the tears in her eyes, she rushed out into the night

IOIOI

She sat upon the rim of the fountain, staring at the moon, silhouetted in shadows. The still biting wind tousled her hair and snarled at her shawl.

Taking his place beside her, he told her quietly, "That was beautiful."

She chuckled dryly, "For all its beauty, it barely means a thing. Naught has been changed for it, and nothing ever will." Turning to face him, she regarded him with her intense jade eyes, "I suppose I must accept it."

"The pain never lessens, but it will become bearable. Yes, she would want you to grieve, but she would also want you to move on, and not punish yourself for what fate decided to take out of your hands."

"You are rather different from any man I have ever met."

He shrugged, "I learnt the hard way that having someone is a blessing."

"Even if they're a stranger?"

"Even if they're a stranger."

IOIOIOIO

The Doctor crept on cat-like tread through the Chapel, ignoring the ghost-like shadows dancing against the wall. Approaching the shrouded figure, he fished out his sonic screwdriver from deep within his jacket. Flicking it through the settings, he ran it over her, taking in the data, but not believing what he was seeing. Shaking the implement, he repeated the action, still not believing it, but forced to accept the facts.

As he walked out, he muttered sullenly, _"We have a problem…"_

IOIOIOI

Re-entering the hall through the servant's entrance, the Doctor slipped back into his seat beside his wife.

"Rose, have you seen anything suspicious?" he muttered to her.

She raised an eyebrow, her attention diverted from watching her daughter dance, "No, why?"

Leaning back, he explained, "Just a feeling. Oh, and also found some poison which shouldn't be invented for at least another eighty centuries."

"You mean-?" She shook her head, "That's bad."

"And that's putting it lightly. Now-"

He was interrupted by a page boy sprinting in, "Sir!" he screamed breathlessly, "Attackers!"

Instantly the hall erupted.

IOIOIOI

A.N: Hehehe… I'm naughty, but reviews shall help me to get the next chapter out faster. Constructive criticism is great for exams, flames shall be used to light the secret stash of fireworks I have.

Also, with this chapter, The Greatest Summer of All Time has become my longest fic! So thanks to everyone, I definitely couldn't have done this without you!


	9. Entwined

A.N: Gadzooks! EVERYTHING here's erupted all at once. Fortunately (for you, that is) this has become my late-night habit, really helps with everything. Still, this chapter is dedicated to my Mum, who's currently in hospital. Thanks for supporting me in all I do…

Still, as for the wonderful people who left a review…**Dory Shotgun **(the drink would be life-saving Lipton Lemon Iced tea. As to my exams, I don't mind you asking questions, and may you NEVER stop, but to explain… We get accreditation from an outside body, which gives us the extras. The exam I sat on the Saturday was a music prac exam for the AMEB, and it gives me musical accreditation which I then use for getting into shows… Hopefully that made sense!), **Kazzy (**Welcome aboard! Make sure you mind Mordrid-he bites : ) ), **James Jango (**Trust me, things will become apparent, and Anita and Josie are based on myself and my friends when we were their age, and trust me, we didn't say whatever till we hit fourteen.), **Joshwales (** The Doc and Rose are coming up! I've got a plot, and they come in where they're needed, and they should be appearing a bit more soon. Trust me, okay?), **Freak and Proud **(Tried the Dalek game today. Twas weird. Then went and painted my jeans… As for Lucy, just wait and see…) and **Bookz (**the time-travel was a long-running joke in the family, and for Rose, it became her way of telling her children what she really was doing without subjecting them to the knowledge. Josie also stated/thought that her parents were international spies. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction…)

Still love you guys, can't wait to hear from you all again.

Enough of my befuddled rambling and on with the story!

Thought of the week: Only dead fish go with the flow…

The Greatest Summer of All Time, Chapter 9 

Entwined.

By _Starlite1_.

Mothers were sobbing upon each other's shoulders as the men were ferrying weaponry from the Armoury, preparing for the oncoming armada. Black cloak sweeping behind him, the Master marched purposefully through his people, fire blazing in his grey eyes.

"Lady Lucy!" He shouted over the heads of the crowds. Instantly a path emerged through the masses to reveal her, setting up her base of operations with the help of the rest of the staff.

"Aye, milord?" she asked, not glancing up from the boiling gauze she was preparing.

"Are we ready?" he demanded bluntly.

Risking a glance, "I cannot say for sure. I am a healer, not a soldier."

"You have proven your worth in battle more than once."

She sighed, "Senka has begun amassing the men, and setting up the perimeter. He has help, and we _will _be ready when the time comes."

"Thank you. That is all I ask."

With that, he left for the armoury.

"We _will _be ready." She muttered determinedly.

IOIOIOIOI

Jack, the Doctor and Adrian were sharpening weapons when the Master swept in. He quickly spotted Senka standing in the eye of the storm.

"Are you ready for this, son?" he asked, resting a hand against the boy's shoulder.

Senka swallowed slightly, "Aye. Jerome taught me well. We have archers taking up their station on the battlements, the drawbridge is up, so we're sealed in, and all those capable of holding a weapon are ready."

"He would be proud. And _I_ am proud." He said.

Senka inclined his head, "Thank you."

"Now, might I request some help with my armour, so that I can at lead the defence of my home."

Senka nodded, "Aye, sir. Considering we may have close quarter fighting, all who can are wearing full armour."

The master nodded, "Very well."

Going into their arsenal, Senka quickly found both his own suit and the elaborate gear of the Master. Racing back out into the main room, he handed the Master a set of chain mail leggings and gloves, a breast plate and guards, assisting him in strapping those on before handing him his helm, the broadsword and crested shield.

"Thank you, Senka. May your blade strike true and fast." The master said gratefully, before heading out into the main yard.

Senka paused momentarily, looking out at the Master's steadily retreating figure, mildly annoyed at the Master's refusal to return the favour. Muttering to himself, he quickly donned the chain mail component, all the while attempting to figure out how to secure his own guards when Adrian came up behind him.

"Need a hand?" He asked nervously, "Only I've never done this type of thing before."

Gratefully Senka smiled, "Thanks. If you can just get them done up tightly, then I'll be set."

In under a minute, his plate armour was secure, "Have you got your own yet?" He

questioned.

"Not yet. Been busy trying to get the swords ready to go."

"You'll be no use to us dead. Go and grab a set of leggings, gloves and armour, and I'll show you how to put it on."

"Don't suppose you'd be willing to get some for us as well, my dear brother?" Asked Josie, as she and Anita marched across the room.

Senka paled, "You're ladies!"

"Your point?" She replied back.

"And you want to fight?"

"And you have a problem with that?" She demanded, "If we're going to die, we'll go down defending ourselves, not huddles in the corner like a pair of wimps."

Senka shook his head, "Honestly… Very well. But you three are sticking with me."

She grimaced, "Fair enough. Least we're going."

"Now Let's SUIT UP!" The Master roared from outside.

IOIOIOIOI

Tense as whippets, they crouched on the battlements, eyes staring out through the moonlight. Bows were checked, arrows notched, swords, battle-axes and maces were unconsciously fingered and inspected in endless repetition.

And still they waited.

From above, the stars scrutinised the scene coldly. A doe scrambled for purchase on an icy ledge, the click of her hooves echoing eerily over the moat. A brown owl swooped upon an unsuspecting mouse, soaring off to feast on silent wings.

As the minutes ticked into hours, the strain became evident on every face. The moon rose higher into the sky, illuminating the scene in an unearthly light. Nervously, Josie thumbed the bow she'd selected. Even though she'd only ever done archery on school camp, at least she had a better chance with it than the sword fastened at her belt. Glancing over to where Anita sat, grasping her own bow so tightly that her knuckles were white, she flicked her best friend a reassuring smile. Weakly she returned the gesture, before returning to her vigil. Gazing across to her brother, she noticed the slight sheen of sweat across his brow. Next to him, Senka perched on the wall, his longbow resting on his leg, his gold-flecked eyes scrutinising the familiar ruts and crevasses of the land intensely.

Suddenly, he tensed, focusing on the horizon. Following his line of sight, she felt the blood drain from her face. Around her, men gasped, shocked at what they beheld.

"_Mortem Agenta…" _Senka whispered, instantly moving. Shuttered lanterns passed the command along the battlement. Chain mail clanked slightly as its bearers moved into position.

They flowed over the horizon, row after row of gnashing teeth and maliciously clicking talons steadily advancing upon the keep. As they stalked through the village, the pungent aroma of decaying flesh reached the soldiers, causing many to retch.

"Archers, ready." The master hissed. Instantly all bows were aimed towards the oncoming force. The armada amassed below, blood lusted eyes glaring towards the broken causeway. Row after row gathered, waiting.

Utter silence reigned as the two parties glared across the moat at the other.

The head of the central column stepped forth, "You will surrender, in the name of the King! Lest we feast upon your flesh!" it roared, a sound with all the pleasantness of nails on a blackboard.

Around them, men whispered in shock. Senka merely raised an eyebrow, took aim, and shot an arrow directly into the neck of the emissary.

Instantly, the force roared, surging forth towards the causeway like a tsunami crashing into the shore.

"FIRE!" came the call, as a volley of flaming arrows soared over the moat, raining down upon the enemy's head.

And still they came, scuttling forward with grappling hooks, siege engines and battle rams, some with just their claws and-

"-Guns!" Josie shouted out in anger.

"What the-?" Anita shouted, glancing at her even as she released a deadly shot.

Her eyes darkened in furor, "Those bloodless bastards are using _guns."_

"Ohhh _Shit!" _Adrian cursed realising what his sister was saying, ducking quickly as a flaming catapult soared over their heads.

Determination fired anew in their souls, as they pressed onwards.

An hour later came the fateful cry, "The walls are breached!"

IOIOIOI

Within minutes of the call being made, the injured began arriving, blood gushing out from where claws had reft muscle apart. Desperately, they tried to help who they could, bandaging their wounds until there was time for more. As Rose scrambled from man to man, she could only be thankful that their wives and children were hidden in the Chapel, far away from the underground chambers they would soon occupy. Even as she worked, she fought to suppress the worry that her own children may be among the next wave of casualties to come through the doors. Within a quarter of an hour, the gauze was gone, and soon the linen was being ripped into strands, little thought given to boiling them.

It came as a shock to Rose when a boy who would be about the same age as her son was brought to her. His shoulder was burnt and bleeding, his eyes wide as he tried to fight the waves of pain.

"Don't move too much, okay?" she said, pushing her outrage and worry aside, before calling to her husband, "We've got firefight!"

Lucy instantly caught onto what she was saying, "We have burns, people. Wet the compresses in cold water before you dress them! Do not try to do more, you will only exacerbate the problem!" Suddenly another wave of injured came through the door, all sporting similar injuries.

Grimly, they pressed on.

IOIOIOI

Along with twenty other men, the quartet had fallen back into the courtyard, a last line of defence before the Chapel. The clash of metal echoed through the keep, steel beating against their foe's armour endlessly. For each blade that struck home, another was forced against a new opponent. Praying that the lines would hold, they stood poised, awaiting the lookout's signal.

All too soon it came, and they grimly lifted their weapons. Claws clicking, they burst through the walkway like water from a dam, and instantly the courtyard filled with their desperate plight. Josie's arms shuddered with the impact as she drove her blade forward over and over, her companions similarly engaged. They found themselves forced back to the doors, a trio advancing malevolently upon them. Shoved aside, the doors were forced open. Recklessly they darted in front of them, swords readied as they stood in front of the villagers. The stench of the creature's breath rolled of them in heavy, pungent waves as the leader proclaimed, "We have succeeded."

"No, you haven't." stated Josie, standing forward.

Cold, blood-red eyes scrutinised her, "Who says we haven't?"

"I do."

"Do you want me to prove it?" it demanded, turning its gaze to the orphan, "That girl there looks…delectable, and it has been many a day since I have tasted such young…Flesssh." A claw reached out, only to be stopped abruptly, "What have you done-?" It shrieked.

"I SAID NO!" Josie screamed back. Suddenly, the temperature dropped. Leaves began to rustle, hopping and scattering in winds swirling around her. The doors crashed fully open on their hinges, bringing the attention of everyone around them.

The creatures clutched their throats, clawing at the invisible hands denying their air supply. She stood in the doorway, her icy blue eyes filled with power, the wind a swirling vortex around her small figure.

"This. Ends. Here." She stated, coldly watching the creatures writher, finally falling still.

The realisation of what she had done hit her like a ton of bricks. She turned away, her face ashen. Abruptly her form seemed to crumple, her eyes rolling up into her head as she fell into blissful unconscious.

IOIOIOI

A.N: It ain't over till the fat lady sings, but the writer would appreciate all comments in the form of reviews. Constructive criticism is a valuable resource, and flames shall be used in the barbecue (So glad summer's here!).

P.S: Also in your reviews, I would like to know if you'd continue reading if I continued after this summer . I've got the plot figured, and early drafts, but still I'd like to know if you're interested…

P.P.S: I posted this at two in the morning :0S so I apologise for any spelling mistakes, etc I missed.


	10. Bees Sting

A.N: This chapter has been driving me up the wall! Still, now I present it to you for your evaluation, and hope it lives up to expectations. My exams are pretty much half over. Now I get a two week break before plunging headlong into insanity once more.

My explicit gratitude goes to my reviewers: James Jago (Did I get the spelling right:oS. Sorry about that!.), Freak and Proud (Helm's deep? Hmmm… Sadly all my battle comes from my little brother watching LoTR over and over and over again. Still, now I've got Star Wars playing 24/7 as well! Also thank you very much for your wonderful thoughts for my ma. She's back home, and all is, albeit slowly returning to normal. ), LtCol Carter (Glad you like it!), Laseri (Helm's Deep? You're the second to note it :P!), Dory Shotgun (Sigh Winter bit back today. I'm not at a music school, but my school is wonderful, and I do heaps of music stuff! AMEB is the Australian Music Examinations Board, which basically grades players in oz. As for why I like Lipton? It's sweet, sugary and has caffiene! And basically the story idea I have is that these will focus on the summers. During summer I'll probably write more! Thanks for reading!), Kazzy (Yay! A Josie Fan! I love writing her, she flows naturally for me!), LilCosette (Wow! You review four times? You're wonderful! Would love to build a Dalek, but atm am making a bassoon extension. And you got the time period right. As for Jack, what's got his knickers in a knot should be in the next chappie.) and The Angel of Hope.

Now, without further adieu, on with the story!

_Thought of the week_: Although we are all in the gutters, some of us are looking at the stars- Oscar Wilde.

The Greatest Summer Of All Time, Chapter 10.

Bees Sting.

_By Starlite1_

Her eyes were bleary when she managed to open them. Above her, faces swam in and out of focus, hazy memories slowly returning to her.

"Wha-?" she asked groggily.

Another face appeared above her, "You've completely exhausted yourself, Josie. Try and rest some more"

"Res…sounds…good…" she mumbled, already feeling her consciousness submit to the void once more.

IOIOIOI

The second time around, she awoke to hear hushed whispering somewhere near her feet. Opening her eyes, she was greeted with the sight of the russet canopy above her, bathed in the flickering light of the fire. She was home. Gingerly, she tried to sit up, and instantly regretted it. Her head felt as though it was overstuffed with cotton wool, and her limbs had turned to lead. A moan escaped her lips, and instantly Anita, Adrian and, surprisingly, Senka appeared above her.

"Don't try to move." Adrian ordered.

"You've been out of it for an hour." Anita added.

"But then again, you managed to defeat the evil marauding invaders single handedly beforehand." Senka concluded.

"Mhmm…can I go back to sleep?" she complained, her head throbbing.

"Of course."

IOIOIOI

Rose and the Doctor stumbled into the Control Room, blood stained and exhausted. The death toll had been high, and now the tedious process of rebuilding had begun. When the battle was abruptly halted, speculation spread like wildfire about what had happened. Rumours of a Tempest destroying the invaders with a stare colder then the Northern winds.

"Where's Jack?" Rose asked, leaning against the console.

The Doctor quickly glanced down at the readings, "Helping the clean-up effort."

Rose merely nodded.

"Mum?" Adrian asked from the door.

Her eyes went wide, "Adrian!" She barrelled across the room, knocking the wind out of him as she engulfed him in a bone-crushing embrace, "You're alive!"

"Not for much longer." He choked out, struggling to free his airways.

"Where's Josie? And Anita?" she demanded.

"I'm here." Anita said, pitching into the doorframe, "And Josie's sleeping again. Not that I blame her. Senka's watching over her."

"Senka?" The Doctor asked.

Anita shrugged, "He helped us carry her back. She was out cold."

"What the hell happened?" Rose demanded, checking the pair over just to ascertain they were real.

Finally free, Adrian slumped onto the pilot's seat, "She did it. She stopped them all."

"How?" the Doctor questioned.

"Her mind." Anita interjected, waving her hand around her temple,"I felt it. She did…something, and they couldn't breathe. It was like she was the middle of a storm."

"Storm?" The Doctor exclaimed sharply.

Rose looked pointedly at him, "What?"

"I'll explain later." He replied distractedly, "At the moment, we have a bigger problem. Or more accurately, you do."

"And that would be…" She demanded, folding her arms across her chest.

He paused, "From what you told me Anita, Josie used telepathy, or more accurately telekinesis to stop the armada. Now, for a Gallifreyan, telepathy emerges at puberty."

"Right, and how many telekinetics have there been in Gallifreyan history, just out of interest?" she asked, arms folding across her chest.

"In legend? Two, maybe three. Confirmed? None." The Doctor stated, fiddling with a yoyo he'd pulled from his pocket.

Suddenly Senka walked in, "She's awake. Said she'd take a shower."

"You all right, mate?" The Doctor asked the boy.

He shrugged, "It's a bit to absorb, but… yeah."

Suddenly there came a blood-curdling scream from the direction of Josie's room.

Instantly everyone bar the Doctor moved to the door.

"Wait!" he ordered. They froze, staring at him in shock, "Rose, remember what I said earlier?"

"Yeah." She replied sceptically.

He folded his arms, "Think about it."

Shock came over her face, "Oh."

"Pretty much describes it. You'd better go to her. As for you three, I need you to come with me to the library."

"What about Josie?" Anita demanded.

He raised an eyebrow, "Something tells me she just needs her mum at the moment."

"Oh."

"Pretty much describes it. Now come on."

IOIOIOI

"Wow." Senka said, staring at the endless shelves of the library.

The Doctor grinned proudly, "Glad you like it. Now, yesterday Jack and I were going through some stuff in here, and he came across a piece of paper. Rather nondescript, had some fancy calligraphy on it, but in the past twenty-four hours has become rather important. What we need to do is find it. Should be within the first ten shelves, because that's where we were working."

Ten minutes into their search, Adrian asked, "Is this it?" Holding up the worn piece of paper.

"You've got it." The Doctor confirmed, "Oi! You two, over here!"

Puzzled, the pair returned to the reading area.

"Adrian, would you mind reading it to us?" He asked.

"Sure, why not?" He shrugged. As he read, their eyes grew wider, surprise coming over their faces.

Finishing the last line, Adrian demanded, "You serious?"

"Think about it. _Brought here from forgotten land…"_

"Gallifrey?"

"Right in one. _Upon the shores of Aldonreigh,"_

"The Lake's called Aldonreigh," Senka interrupted, "Not that many use the name any longer. The river that flows into it claims precedence."

"Right, that's sorted. Skip the next two verses, and look at the last verse. Now this is what is bothering me:_ Await the coming of daybreak Following after in her wake, _Question is what time is sunrise?"

Senka shrugged, "Not for another half hour at least."

"Exactly, and didn't you say that the river that flows out the lake is also called the Aldonreigh?"

"What are you trying to say Dad?" Adrian demanded.

The Doctor looked at his son grimly, "That the board may be set, but this isn't over yet."

IOIOIOI

A.N: So what do you think? Sorry about the huge A.N at the start, but I love your reviews, and you deserve to have your questions answered. On that subject, ASK ME QUESTIONS! I love reviews, I love hearing what you have to say, and as my friends will tell you, I'm a much happier person for them. So do us a favour and please review. Constructive criticism helps greatly, and flames will be used to weld my new bassoon bell! Ciao!


	11. Bittersweet Symphony

A.N: Gak! Eruptions everywhere! Finally managed to get this finished- This is what I was trying to get into last chapter, but couldn't get it to work before… So hope this works well.

Muchos Grazias goes to…Joshwales, James Jago, freak and proud (Josie doesn't know about the prophecy yet… and only time will tell when she'll find out about it :P), Dory Shotgun (Sorry about the length-this one's my longest yet, got to 9 pages on my computer! And I'm a Sydneysider myself, and we've been getting some pretty hot days over here. As for instruments, I play flute, bassoon and sing officially. Unofficially, I can play any woodwind, brass I'm working on, and guitar is the only stringed instrument I can really manage. And so far I've gone pretty well in the exams I've got back.), Cadao, Kazzy (Always look on the bright side of life…), and Laseri (Telekinesis, at least how I perceive it is that any mind with telepathic or empathic abilities has the potential to extend the mental control to the physical world around them. And humans supposedly have a receptive ability for ESP, so the chances are that it would be possible. Hope that wasn't too confusing :oS).

Right, think I've dealt with everything, so hope you enjoy!

Thought of the week: Only dead fish go with the flow-Live your life with impact.

The Greatest Summer of All Time, Chapter 11.

Bittersweet Symphony

Grime covered his shirt, his feet leaden as he trudged up the hill towards his home. A deadened look rarely seen upon his visage darkened his eyes, a melancholic sorrow weighing down his soul.

Pausing momentarily, Jack perched upon a moss-covered outcropping. The sunrise stained the sky blood red, a haunting echo of the previous night's events. To the south the keep lay, its walls broken and smouldering, smoke drifting into the air. On the other side of the valley, plumes of smoke began their ascent to the heavens once more, the gruesome task of burning the dead resumed for another day. A lone eagle soared over the lake, skimming over the golden crested waves before emitting a mournful cry and taking to the skies once more.

Of all the times through history, his least favourite were plague zones. Something about the continual death and hopelessness quashed the life out of him, and he, quite frankly, hated it. At least the day before last they'd missed the plague by twelve months. Maybe after this, the Doctor would take them somewhere happier… maybe Taurus or Verve. After this, they'd all need it.

Wincing slightly as stiff muscles complained, he rose, beginning his trek up the hill once more.

Little did he know that someone was watching.

IOIOIOIOIOI

"Sir." The soldier growled, heavy armour clanking as his claws clicked along the cobblestones.

"What?" The silhouetted figure demanded, not looking away from the dancing flames, talons clicking maliciously against the armrest.

"I bring news of the attack, sir."

"I take it the Tempest was neutralised."

Shuffling anxiously, the soldier replied, "Well…"

A dry chuckle, teeming with spite echoed through the darkened room, "Now, don't tell me that a mere _child_ has outwitted us, for you know I will be displeased."

Gulping in apprehension, he answered, "She destroyed the entire battalion, sir."

"WHAT?!" The figure snarled, abruptly vaulting out of the chair, sending it crashing to the ground, crossing the room to tower over the soldier, foul breath rolling over the soldier in nauseating waves.

Flinching from the fuming onslaught he continued, "This girl is no mere child - She mentally attacked them, sir! Most likely, she didn't even know what she was doing."

"That does not change the fact. Thrice now, she has challenged us, and thrice have we come out the worse for it. If we are to achieve _our_ goals, she must be eliminated now. I will not tolerate any more faltering. Bring me Regent Mortimer."

Trying to quiet the unease in the pit of his stomachs, he bowed slightly, "As you wish, sir."

IOIOIOIOI

Jack stumbled into the control room to find the Doctor and Rose slumped against each other in the pilot's seat. At the sound of the door, they blearily opened their eyes.

"You guys look exhausted!" Jack commented, floundering over to crash on the floor next to them.

"We feel it." Rose replied.

Jack sighed, "So where are the kids?"

"Hopefully the four of them are getting some rest. They had a rough time of it." The Doctor said.

Jack looked up at them, "Four?"

Rose shrugged, "Senka's joined us. Helped to get Josie back when she passed out."

Eyebrows shooting up he stared at her, "Right. Tell me about it later. I'm going to bed-" He was interrupted by a knock at the door.

The trio instantly stood, staring surprisedly at each other.

"That's weird." Rose commented nonchalantly.

The Doctor shrugged, "Is anybody going to answer that?"

Quickly, Jack marched to the door, prizing it open slight, and glancing around the corner, "Lucy?" He questioned in shock,

She smiled slightly, "You wouldn't have happened to have seen my son, would you?"

From behind him, the Doctor spoke, "He's fast asleep at the moment. Not surprising considering they just lived through the real-life version of Helm's Deep."

"Lived being the operative word." Lucy commented dryly.

Rose gazed at the other woman steadily, "You're not from this time."

"Correct."

The Doctor interjected, "Considering you have yet to panic about the dimensions of the room, I'd place you post first contact."

She nodded, "It was 2430 when I was abducted. As for the room, it's too beautiful to worry about the mere problem of the dimensions."

Huge grins broke out across both Jack and the Doctor's features. Together they turned to Rose and begged, "Can we keep her?"

IOIOIOIOI

Soon thereafter, the four were seated in the kitchen, mugs of tea firmly in hand, Tim-Tams heaped onto a plate in front of them.

Delightedly, Lucy dunked one of the chocolaty delicacies into her drink, a blissful look passing over her face as she bit into it.

"I've missed this." She commented, her hands clasping the cup, "And I suppose I owe you all an explanation."

"Well, I wouldn't mind knowing how you ended up here." The Doctor said.

Lucy pursed her lips, "I've told Jack a bit of this, but I suppose there are still a few blanks that need filling.

"I grew up on earth, in Tuscany as a matter of fact. My father was one of the first... aliens to come on the University exchange programs. My mother showed him around, and things went from there."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "So you're only half human?"

"And half Yinoran. Regardless, my mixed heritage allowed me to gain a scholarship to study both Yino and Human medicine. I loved the city- the apartment I shared with one of my colleges come friend became a haven, and it was close to the Yinoran embassy where I worked with their chief medic during the mornings, then walked to the University for the afternoon. When I was a _week_ off beginning my internship, Kash and I went to our favourite bar, and someone slipped me something. From there I remember a few indistinct flashes, and a voice saying something about reporting back to the 'time agency', whatever that is-"

Jack's face paled, "Time agency? Oh no…"

Puzzled, Lucy sent a stare to Rose.

"Jack was once a time agent. That was until they stole two entire years of his memory…" Rose informed her.

"Oh… well, I know that whomever it was wasn't human." Lucy supplied helpfully.

"How?" Jack demanded hoarsely.

Lucy gazed at him, trying to show her truthfulness merely through the power of her gaze, "Senka was the result, and his physiology is a mix of at least three different genetic structures. Neither humans nor Yinos have a sixteenth rib, or shoulder blades that are fused with a secondary support bone. Nothing visible that would be picked out as extraordinary, but enough so that I could easily determine that he's not fully human. Also gave him quite an edge with a blade."

The Doctor pursed his lips, "The question is what will happen next."

Jack turned to look at him, "What do you mean?"

"A few things." He began, "Firstly, do you want to stay here, go home or somewhere else. Secondly, there's the stubbornness of the TARDIS. She's brought us here for some reason, and we'll have to see it out. Then of course there's that prophecy you dug out of the Library, Jack."

Jack stared at him dumfoundedly, "That was legit?"

"Hang about!" Lucy interjected, "Prophecies exist?"

The Doctor smiled slightly, "Yeah. Just shows you shouldn't disregard the word of supposed raving lunatics. They're usually the result of something that directly affects the flow of history, time loops, or time travellers such as ourselves creating ripples. People who are more inclined to ESP can pick the waves up, and they're written down, then _voila! _You see the event which echoed actually happening, of course foreshadowed by the echo."

"Just try not to think of time as being a straight line, and it'll start to make sense." Rose reassured her.

"Right. And as to what you said before, about what Senka and I wish to do, I think I'll ask him first." Lucy concluded, draining the last bit of tea from her cup.

The Doctor nodded, "Very well. Now, might I suggest that we get some sleep, after all, twenty four hours going non-stop does nothing for one's beauty."

"Like you can speak, big ears." Rose teased, tongue poking out of the side of her mouth.

He pretended to look offended, "Oi! _You _don't exactly look like a bunch of roses at the moment, my dearest."

She grinned wryly, "I'm sure there's a compliment in there somewhere. Still, we're off. Jack, can you please find Lucy a room-and I don't mean yours."

He threw off a mock-salute, "Yes, Ma'am!"

IOIOIOI

She awoke suddenly, her chest heaving, tatters of memories fading away as her breathing returned to normal. Sitting up, she winced slightly as her head pounded, noticing the tangled mess of sheets. With a groan, she heaved herself upright, and padded to the bathroom, spattering her face with icy water to wash away the final vestiges of the nightmare.

Knowing that it would be a while before she could return to dreamland, she returned to her room, contemplating sitting down with Harry Potter, to find Anita sitting in one of the chairs by the fire.

"Couldn't sleep?" She inquired.

Anita shrugged, "Not really. Then again, I'm not surprised, considering what we've been through in the past couple of days. I heard you crashing around, so I thought I'd find some company."

For a while they simply sat in silence, watching the fire crackle away merrily in the hearth. Then there came a knock at the door.

"Yeah?" Josie called. The two boys walked into the room, Senka glancing around nervously.

"You guys are up as well, I take it?" Adrian stated, coming to sit next to Anita's legs.

Josie shrugged, "Yeah. Nightmares."

"Nice to know we're all in the same boat."

Looking over to the door, Anita noticed Senka looking nervously about.

"You all right?" She asked.

He looked at her, his cheeks flushing red, "A gentleman is not supposed to enter a lady's chambers."

Josie looked at him thoughtfully, "For starters, I'm not a lady. Secondly, I give you my permission to enter."

Still slightly cautious, he joined the others on the floor.

"Right, don't suppose anybody would be hiding any marshmallows?" Josie entreated, a mischievous smile creeping over her face.

Adrian buried his head in his hands, "Oh no! She wants the smoars! Run for cover!"

Senka stared at him curiously, "And why would we do that?"

"Exactly! Why would we do that?" Josie demanded.

Anita rolled her eyes, "Do you remember when we went camping last summer, and Jack introduced us to smoars?"

"The greatest thing the Americans have ever come up with!" She proclaimed.

Adrian rolled his eyes, "Yes, and you ended up going on a sugar high."

"Your point?"

"Argh!" He moaned in exasperation.

"Come on! Senka's never had them before, and everyone should be entitled to have smoars at least once in their lives!" she begged.

"They sound… interesting…" Senka supplied helpfully.

Adrian looked over to Anita, "Should we risk it?"

Anita scrunched up her face in contemplation, "She does have a point- everyone should be entitled to smoars at least once in their lives, and they would serve as a wonderful introduction point for Senka into the wild and wonderful world of junk food."

"Yes!!!" Josie triumphantly exclaimed.

"But," Adrian added, "Be it on your own head if you end up spending half the night-or is it day? - Puking you guts out in front of the toilet bowl."

She nodded eagerly, "Message received and understood, Sir!"

He shook his head, "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this… I _think_ I saw the marshmallows in the second cupboard on the right, fourth shelf. The Mars bars should be right next to them."

"Coming, Anita?" she asked, bolting up, grabbing her cohort by the hand and nearly dislocating her arm before sprinting out of the room in search of the sugary delicacies.

IOIOIOIOI

Josie was perched precariously atop a chair, straining to reach into the back of the cupboard whilst Anita looked on fretfully.

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?" She asked worriedly, attempting to stabilise the chair as much as possible, "After all, we've already found two bags of marshmallows, three bags of Mars bars, half a kilo of the Party mix _and _jersey caramels-do we really need twisties?"

"Look, if we're going to introduce Senka to junk food, we're going to do it properly, understand?" came her muffled reply.

Anita shrugged in exasperation, "Fine. It's your neck. Just don't come crying to me if you break something."

Josie turned around to stare at her pointedly, "Well, do you have a better suggestion?"

"What about what you did before?" Anita finally suggested, folding her arms across her chest.

Josie's eyes widened, "You're kidding."

"No."

With a resigned sigh, she hopped off the chair, swinging her legs slightly, "I'm not…I don't…it's complicated."

"Josie, you've got a gift, and what you did today wasn't just amazing- it saved people's lives." Anita told her stubbornly.

"But those…things…"

"Were hell bent on destroying everything. If you hadn't done what you did, things would have been much worse. You've got this absolutely amazing talent, Josie, and it's something that you shouldn't freak out about simply because the first time you used it was to save a whole lot of people who wouldn't have stood a chance if it hadn't been for you."

Her sky-blue eyes filled with tears, "How do you know how to make me feel better?"

"I'm only telling you the truth."

With a smile, she stood up, looking to the cupboard, focusing on bringing the Twisties to her. Instantly a cascade of groceries rained down upon the pair's heads.

"Whoops…"

IOIOIOIOI

For the second consecutive night, the Doctor found himself bolting upright. He looked wildly around the room in bewilderment, squinting in the dim light.

"What'smatter?" Rose grumbled, eyeing her husband.

He blinked, "I think I just had a cupboard of groceries dropped on my head…"

"Ouch." Rose commented, sitting up and leaning against the headboard.

"Think it hurt Josie more than me." The Doctor commented brazenly.

She blinked at him, "Are you telling me that our daughter just pulled apart half the kitchen?"

"Nope."

"Well that's good."

"Only felt like one cupboard."

"O-kay, and you know this…how?"

He grinned maniacally at her, "Telekinetic echo."

"Kids." She said with a sigh.

"Yep."

"So what are we going to do about it?"

He shrugged, reclining back into the pillows, "No clue. My head hurts too much to think about it now."

"Do you want me to kiss it better?"

He gave her a wounded puppy look, "Oi!"

"Oh fine. We'll think about it in the morning-or afternoon-or whatever it will end up being." She yielded, slipping beneath the linen sheets.

His arms curled around her, holding her tightly against his chest in his warm embrace,

"Still wouldn't mind that kiss though." He whispered, placing his lips tenderly on her forehead.

IOIOIOIOI

"What took you two so long?" Adrian demanded, "We're slowly dying of starvation here!"

Anita rolled her eyes, "Keep your knickers on. We gatherers have returned, laden with provisions, Which is more than can be said for you lot."

He snorted, "For your information, we were discussing the philosophical aspects of poplar culture in relation to our relative time frames."

"Honestly…" Josie sighed, "If Senka is going to learn about the queer ways of the twenty–first century, then _we _will do it properly. That means copious amount of unhealthy, sugary foods with little to no nutritional value. Understood?"

"Fine." Adrian doubtfully agreed, "Now what are we going to use for skewers?"

"How about these?" Senka suggested, holding up one of the fire pokers.

"Should do quite nicely." Anita said with a grin. Fetching the numerous packages of salvaged sweets, she quickly selected the mini mars bars and the marshmallows, ripping them open and deftly squishing them onto the pointed weapon.

"Now the idea is to brown it, but not burn it." She explained, swinging the delicacies into the flames. Within half a minute, the stick was flaming.

"Not," Josie patronised, "Like that."

Regardless of the regular pyrotechnical displays, the packets of lollies soon dwindled down, leaving the four giggling masses on the floor.

"Y'know, this is better than water fights in the summer!" Senka exclaimed.

Josie snorted, "You're right about that one."

"I've apologised about the water bomb at least a dozen times, Jose!" Adrian grumbled.

She simply rolled her eyes, "It still doesn't change the fact that-"

"Please can we not get into this again?" Anita complained.

Adrian paused in consideration, staring up at the star-spangled ceiling above, "Yeah. Suppose you're right, especially after what we've been through."

Suddenly the giddy cheerfulness evaporated.

"We have a word for the ones who fight beside us." Senka stated reflectively, in an attempt to lift the melancholic blanket that threatened to smother them.

"And that would be…?" Adrian began.

"Friends."

They all sat up, a glint of excitement in their eyes.

"Four comradeers." Adrian began, placing his hand in the middle of the circle.

"Travelling together through time-"Anita cited, adding her hand.

"And Space!" Josie added in excitedly, her pale nail polish gleaming in the light of the fire.

"Four friends!" Senka concluded, sealing it with his hand.

IOIOIOIOIOI

A.N: End a bit cheesy? Please review and tell me! Constructive criticism is loved, and flames (In honour of Anita's inferno) shall be used to make smoars!!!


	12. Schemes and Sandwiches

A.N: This was _supposed _to be posted a week ago… Ah well, my wonderful laptop had a case of the flu, which I'm currently in the middle of trying to rectify through desperate measures. So I apologise for the severe lateness, and hope that this makes up for it!

Thanks go to….James Jago (A smoar is mars bars and marshmallows melted together over a fire, absolutely heavenly! So physiotherapists, huh… :oP Glad you like!), Joshwales (Sequels are running around in my head, and if you look, there are links through :oP Btw, pretty cool story!), Freak and Proud (Never got around to reading Enid… As for the marshmallows, you're supposed to set them alight! That's what truly makes them! Tim Tams, on the other hand, are the best biscuit, apart from ANZAC biscuits, to come out of Oz. Basically double choc oreos in the shape of a rectange dipped in some of the best chocolate available!), Laseri (It would be possible. After all, the Doc's X chromosome came from his mother, who was human, and thus Josie must have full human… You get my point. If you want me to go into a bit more detail, shoot me an email. It's on my page, and I'll probably write you an essay :oP. As to how many chapters? In this story, I haven't sat down and worked it out, but it probably won't be more than around eight. Then there's the sequels if you're interested!), werewolflemming (Glad u like! Thanks for reading! The next one will probably come out the same time as I post the last chapter of this one, so that I don't lose the flow. So what's your fave type of cheese?), Dory Shotgun ( I'm in Prelim atm, and as for the watcher… You've given me food for thought….), eeveekitty85 (Sorry! I shall fix it! My excuse is that I update at or after midnight! As to why I called him Mr. Tyler, it's cause that's what the kids call him, so, status quo, my English teacher would kill me if I did otherwise (Hey Mrs. P!), Also take it you're a Poke'mon lover? My lil bro just discovered the gameboy games, and now I'm bribing him not to play…. How sad….Audrey? In case you haven't figured out, I wasn't as into the old series as I am the new :OS so would love to gain some of your knowledge :OD, And as I think I mentioned in an earlier chappie, I've modelled their ways on my own and my friends, and anyway, tis good to show maturity! As to the song, that's the original version. It did emerge early to mid thirteen hundreds, during the plague, and referred to children's views on the hellish situation they found themselves in. Btw, thanks for suggesting its publish-able! Still can't believe you reviewed six times! Muchos Grazias!), And AmyAmidala (Thanks for reading, as said, there are sequels growing in the back of my head!)

Rightio, thanks to all who have read, but once again I've blabbed far too long. At least I hope the length makes up for it!

Take care!

Thought of the week: I do not have a home in this building, but in the hearts of the people who make me smile.

The Greatest Summer of All Time, Chapter 12.

Schemes and Sandwiches.

By Starlite1 

The waves crashed against the bow of the ship as it ploughed its way through the Channel, bearing home the King. A grim countenance dominated his chiselled face as he perched upon the yardarm, the wind lashing his shoulder-length hair as the spray blasted up from the ocean. Edward had always disliked travelling during the rather unsavoury winter months, but circumstances at home pressed him onwards.

"Your Majesty, we approach the mouth of the Aldonreigh!" His manservant called.

"Very well, Duncan." He answered, "Tell the Captain to make haste. It has been far too many moons since I stood upon the turf of my homeland." With that, he grasped a rope, cutting it free, and swooping down to land before the man.

Duncan stood gobsmacked as he observed the King of England. "Your Majesty, I do wish you would not do that. It plays havoc on my nerves."

"Oh come on, my good man!" Edward complained, turning to head down to his cabin, "Where lies the logic in behaving in such an uptight manner all the time? Allow me my frivolities, whilst I still have air in my lungs with which to do them!" He opened a door, ducking slightly to avoid his head colliding with the low beams.

"But your majesty-!"

Entering his cabin, he quickly swung up onto his hammock, and with a moan said, "Duncan, for all my upbringing and training, I still wish to retain at least some measure of sovereignty over my own destiny. 'Tis not an overly extravagant request."

Heaving a frustrated breath, the manservant spun on his heel and bustled out of the cabin.

Eyeing the door warily in case of his return, he stole across the room to his travelling case, nimbly removing the inside of the lid to reveal a sheaf of folded parchments, the most recent of which had arrived by messenger pigeon just before they had departed from France.

It read as follows,

_16th February,_

_Dargason Court._

_Your Majesty,_

_I am writing of a matter posing serous concern to those of your court still loyal unto thee. As I have discussed in previous correspondence, the unruly and questionable behaviour of your regent has escalated to the point where the firm majority find ourselves unable to find our rest come witching hour. Rumours of his being in league with some sort of Draconian devil spread, the providence of his ill-favoured spirit seems to become more certain with every passing hour. He has lost what menial and amiable quality he ever possessed within his soul to the thirst for power and dominance. Every minute he continues along this road draws our sovereign homeland deeper into the grips of a despair I fear we shan't ever find a way to escape from. _

_Thus, I entreat for your return home to the Court, for I fear that dark times are upon us. Without a king, we are doomed to fail._

_Thus, I wish you Godspeed, and pray for your hasty return._

_Your Loyal Subject,_

_Jonathon Smythe._

The breath hitched in his throat as he read, realising the event he had come to dread was finally upon him. Re-folding the letter, and replacing it once more in the secret compartment, he tried to swallow the anxiety in his throat. His thoughts were tumultuous, a tangled mess he doubted he could untangle. Somehow, deep inside he knew his destiny was ensnared with something greater here.

If only he knew what lay ahead.

IOIOIOI

Jackie Tyler lay in the middle of a field of slightly scarlet grass surrounded by plants from right across the universe on a ship belonging to her alien son-in-law. She severely doubted her friends would ever find the opportunity to say that. The few times she had been in the TARDIS for an extended stay, she had chosen this as her place to escape.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of feet approaching.

"You all right mum?" Rose asked, lying down beside her.

Jackie shrugged, "I guess. Just thinking."

"Seems we're all doing that rather frequently." Rose murmured.

She looked over at her daughter, "Wouldn't mind knowin' where you lot were last night though."

Rose's entire body sagged, "Living through hell, and scrambling back."

"You all right honey?"

"I suppose. I've lived through worse, but that's part of our turf."

"What happened?"

"Y'know the aliens who attacked us back home?"

"Yeah."

"They were there. Tried to take over the local keep. It was like a slaughterhouse, blood everywhere."

"You all right?"

"As I said, it's part of the turf. I was more worried about the kids…"

Jackie glanced over to her, "Why? Didn't they used to hide away the children or something?"

"Do you really think they'd have gone? As much as I may wish otherwise, they refused to remain with the women and children. Instead they positioned themselves in the most dangerous place they could. Not that I blame them. It's worse to be locked away somewhere, with the sounds of people screaming and dying echoing in your ears…and knowing that you can't do a single bloody thing about it. At least on the front line… you're doing something. You're not just sitting down waiting for death to come and claim you…"

"Is that why you went back?" Jackie demanded bluntly.

"Yes."

She exhaled in relief, "Well, at least now I know for a fact why you did it. We've never really talked about it."

"No, we haven't." Rose mused, "Not really. Still, I have four children to rouse from the land of nod, so I'd best be off."

"Four?"

She grinned, "Wait until breakfast."

"That was four hours ago!"

IOIOIOIOI

The door creaked slightly on its hinges when Rose opened the door. Her eyes widened as she beheld the numerous confectionary packages lying devoid of their contents strewn across the floor. She finally turned her gaze to the bed, and nearly burst out laughing at the sight. The four comrades were collapsed in a tangled heap on top of the cover, photos spread out before them.

Still refraining from chuckling, she immediately ducked down the corridor, and returned with her camera in hand. Quickly she took half a dozen shots before quietly closing the door.

IOIOIOIOI

"Mhmm…" Josie mumbled incoherently, slowly returning from dreamland, only to find an elbow in her mouth. Disgruntled, her eyes tracked up to their owner, who was splayed out over the bed's other current occupants, snoring slightly.

"Adrian…"She groaned, poking him in the side.

He muttered something undistinguishable and curled up into a ball. Relieved of the burden, she quickly headed to the bathroom. Grimly determined, she turned on the faucet.

"BLEAUGH!" The three shrieked as the cold water hit them.

"What did you do that for!" Adrian spluttered.

"The elbow in the face, thanks very much."

"Welcome."

"Anyway, it's lunch time, so time to get our butts out of bed, and find some chow."

"After what we ate?" Anita asked, "You've got to be kidding me."

"You're not hungry?" Senka said in surprise.

Her stomach grumbled obviously, and she grinned sheepishly, "Well, maybe slightly."

"Wonder what Grandma has made for breakfast?" Adrian commented airily, before they all trouped down the hall.

IOIOIOIOI

"Sir."

"Yes, what is it?" The figure replied from his chair once more.

The guard entered the room, "I bring the Regent."

"In here, if you please."

Guided by the guard's claw, Regent Mortimer entered the room.

"You may leave." He directed to the guard, who saluted, and practically sprinted out of the room. Disregarding the lack of propriety displayed by the guard, he instead turned to face the Regent.

He was a gaunt man, more of a skeleton sheathed in flesh and the finery of nobility than a living creature. His skin had a flimsy, diseased appearance, and was wrecked with smallpox scars. Greasy ringlets of flaxen hair were pulled to the nape of his head, accentuating the drawn, emaciated features of his face. Yet the most terrifying part of this visage were the eyes. One upon a time, they undoubtedly would have been beautiful, their aquamarine colours merrily dancing. Now, they looked out on the world through fully dilated pupils, the life that had once inhabited lost to the curtain of darkness that now enveloped their washed-out depths.

"You will obey me." The Figure stated.

The Regent turned towards the noise, "Aye."

"Our plan moves forth. Tonight, we shall complete the final solution. You have received your duties, aye?"

"No. Awaiting commands." The regent replied in a cold and slightly mechanical voice.

The Figure looked towards him sharply, "You are to welcome the… king home, and then all0w us to dispose of him, cementing you place in the future. Are you prepared?"

"Aye."

"Very well. Now if all goes to plan, we shan't have to worry about dealing with the wench once more"

IOIOIOIOIOIOI

The clatter of knives and cutlery echoed down the hall from the kitchen when the quartet approached.

Jackie glanced up from the remnants of the chicken when they entered, "They have arisen! We're having sandwiches for lunch, so could you get the fillings out? I'll finish carving this, and then we can start."

"Yes Ma'am!" Adrian and Josie chorused, heading over to the fridge.

"Erm… Sandwiches?" Senka questioned, glancing to Anita.

"Bread with meats, preserves, fruits and veggies in between two slices." She quickly explained, "I think we're having them cold today."

"Too right about that!" Jackie interjected, "It's summer at home, so we'll be having a meal suited to the season."

Senka looked at her in surprise, "Cold middays? That's strange."

Jackie gave him a smile, "It won't be the weirdest thing you'll experience with this bunch."

He shrugged, grinned, and dived into the fridge alongside the others, "It's cold!"

Jackie fondly rolled her eyes, before bellowing "LUNCH!"

Thirty seconds later, the elders tumbled through the door, chests heaving.

"We're here, Ma." Rose panted.

"And about time too." She chucked, surveying the men's grease-stained shirts, The pencil stuck carelessly behind Rose's ear, and the stethoscope errantly hanging around Lucy's neck, "Now sit down before I decide to put it away again."

Chairs scraped along the floor, as everyone took their places. Bowls ferried along the table, and Senka quickly got the idea behind the delicacy. Soon a chicken, salad, mayonnaise, ham and pineapple sandwich lay before him.

Gingerly, he took a bite, before proclaiming, "Delicious!"

It wasn't until the plates had all been cleared away that the inevitable part of the meal began.

"Right," The Doctor began, "A number of issues have arisen from last night, which I believe would be better dealt with sooner rather than later. Before we go any further, first, and probably most importantly, we need to talk about our two time refugees."

Senka perked up, "What do you mean Time refugees?" He demanded.

"Remember the City of lights?" Lucy prompted.

Senka considered it momentarily, "Yes…"

"That was my home in 2420." She stated bluntly.

"Oh…" Senka said numbly.

"We'll talk about it more later. Now though, I believe we have a choice to make."

"And what would that be?" He mumbled.

Lucy took a deep breath, "Do you want to stay here? On the TARDIS?"

"You mean live here?"

"Sort of." The Doctor interjected, "We half live in London, 2017, and half here. So you and your mother could come to our home, your mother could travel around with us, if she wants, and you could go to school with this lot."

"You mean those two." Anita mumbled softly.

Rose looked at her in surprise, "I thought your parents were sending you to Scotts."

Anita looked at her miserably, "Can you imagine _my _parents paying the fees for Scotts? I'll be heading to the All Girls Catholic Convent."

The Doctor gave her a pensive look, "We'll talk about this later, all right? Back to what we were talking about earlier, do you want to stay?"

Senka looked at his friends, "Here it's the same thing every day. I'm a kitchen boy today, and I'll be tomorrow, and although I might one day be the head swordsman, it will still be the same thing over and over, day after day. I don't think I want to spend the rest of my life like that."

"Well then, welcome aboard!" The Doctor proclaimed, "Onto the next pressing item of business: The Z'keth."

"Who are they?" Lucy questioned.

A dark look came over Jackie's eyes, "A bunch of aliens who trampled my roses,"

"And attacked the Keep last night." Rose added, "For the past three days we've been running into them, and now we need to know why."

"Last night their Emissary said something about their attack being in the name of the King." Adrian supplied helpfully.

The Doctor pursed his lips, "This is worse than I thought then. If there are aliens playing around in earth's past, and they're being backed by the King, then we need to try and sort it out, or history's going to go horribly wrong. Not to mention the prophecy…"

"What prophecy?" Josie challenged.

The other three children looked around nervously, whilst Jack said simply, "None of your business, Miss. You'll find out when the time's right. Regardless, we still have the Z'keth to deal with. By the way, did you want to acquire your possessions from the keep before we leave?"

Lucy nodded, "I have no clue if we'll be able to go back again, so it would be a wise move. I do have some things that I have procured over the years I would be rather upset to loose."

"Anything else?" Jackie asked.

The Doctor grinned, "Just our next destination."

IOIOIOIOI

Anita lay on the palette in her room, staring up at the star-studded ceiling, contemplating putting on the outfit upon the chair.

Her musings were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"What!" She called out, expecting Adrian or Senka to be standing there telling her to hurry up. Instead the door opened to reveal the Doctor.

"Oh, Hey Do-Mr-Uhm…." She mumbled, sitting up and staring at him in surprise.

He smiled at her kindly, "Just the Doctor will do fine, Anita. It's a bit easier than Mr. Tyler is anyway, but I can't go around simply calling myself the Doctor on earth. Rather a shame, actually…Still, back to why I dropped in. Do you want to go to Scotts?"

Anita looked at him sharply, "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Of course." She stated, "To be able to go to Scotts would be a dream come true! I mean, not only is one of the best schools in the country, but I'd still be with Josie."

The Doctor grinned, "I take it that the Convent wasn't that appealing?"

"What do you think? Droning nuns who still wear full length habits, sluts who think that they rule the world, and basically nowhere to go afterwards apart from to the altar isn't really an appealing future, in anyone's terms."

"That's fantastic. Because what I'd like to suggest is that we give you a 'Scholarship' in history for Scotts. Full board, same as Josie, fees and auxiliaries paid right through to A-Levels."

"You're kidding!" She gasped in astonishment, "But…Not to sound rude or anything, is there a catch?"

He smiled at her reassuringly, "You're a smart person for asking. There's no catches, because even if you had a huge fight with Josie, Adrian would most likely still drag you along, and Rose couldn't bear to leave you with your…parents. But, you do know that if you decide to take history, it would be an absolute breeze, not to mention it would back up the cover story. Just so you know."

She whooped, "Goodbye Convent, hello WORLD! Thank you SO much! This is totally cool!"

The Doctor chuckled, "Glad you approve. Brilliant, I am! But you'd best be dressed pretty quickly, because I believe the party for the village is nearly ready to head off."

IOIOIOIOI

The _Briar Rose_ crashed through the swell, navigating through the headlands to the dock, even as the winds attempted to make it otherwise. The Starboard narrowly missed the wharf, in a move that made the deckhands wince. Through sheer dumb luck, they managed to anchor, and the gangway was lowered quickly to allow the Harbourmaster to come aboard.

"Your majesty, you would be well advised to stay where you are, sir! A titanic Tempest bears down, and even now we are battening down the hatches."

Edward looked at the man, "Where did it come from, my good fellow? We saw naught to suggest such a thing out in the channel!"

"Aye, that's 'cause twasn't in the channel. It blew up out of nowhere, and now we can do naught but pray!"

Edward replied grimly, "Aye, so mote it shall be. We shall wait until dawn to attempt to come ashore. So until then!"

"As ye wish, your majesty!" The harbourmaster replied before hurrying off once more into the fog.

Sighing, Edward trudged back downstairs once more, stumbling as the ship pitched with the waves. Lurching into his cabin, he somehow swung himself up into his hammock once more. As he listened to the creaks and moans and groans of the ship as it battled against the Tempest, he considered attempting to get some sleep. Heaven knows that his return to Court would signify the beginnings of many restless nights.

Out of nowhere a gin-soaked rag suffocated his mouth. Desperately he fought against his attacker, his defence becoming weaker and weaker as he fell into the sweet embrace of oblivion.

IOIOIOIOIOI

A.N: So whaddya think? Reviews are wonderful, especially now my exams are over! Constructive criticism helped me get full marks in one of my English papers, so I look forward to more, but flames shall be used for toasted cheese sandwiches.

Until we meet again!


	13. Explosive

A.N: Two reviews off 100, peeps!

Thanks go to: Joshwales (I think I might have mention that this is Post- PoTW earlier on…), Laseri (Right… To justify myself… John is the King's confidant, so thus friendly. Hope this chap pleases!), James Jago, werewolflemming, eeveekitty85 (Enjoy your something yummy!), Freak and Proud (My reason for choosing that name is not just coz it sounds cool, but if I tell you now, I be throwing away huge bits of plot-yes, I have a plot! And no, I'm a true blue Aussie mutt :oP.), Dory Shotgun (Good Luck!), AmyAmidala (Right, Doc regenerating is in the works (Third or fourth story in the series… Haven't really decided yet, but an idea came to me in the shower one morning when I was looking for the conditioner… Never found the conditioner, though… Scotts is the school that all four will be attending at the end of the summer. As Anita's parents are…conservative-i.e: Stuck up, there needs to be a reason behind the scholarship the Doc's giving her. Now as she has access to a Time Machine, History is obviously a logical choice, as what's a better way to study than first hand experience :oP?) And Kazzy.

This chappie is dedicated to the wonderful kindy class I was with for work experience, Coz I already miss you all!

May the Faucet Be With You!

Thought of the week: _Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of the fire._

The Greatest Summer of All Time, Chapter 13.

Explosive.

By Starlite1

"What's with the pants?" Adrian demanded as Josie and Anita waltzed into the Control room dressed as pages.

Josie grinned, and Anita replied, "More comfortable. Not to mention that there's currently a hunt for a girl. Anyway, have you ever tried to fight in skirts?"

"What do you-?" Senka began, only to receive an annoyed poke in the ribs from Adrian.

"Well, at least we'll never have to know. About the skirts that is." He covered.

"Are we ready?" Lucy interjected, coming up behind her son, "After all, we have less than two hours to sundown, and it would be ill advised for us to be out after that time."

"Is Uncle Jack coming?" Josie asked.

"I hope so." Lucy replied, errantly straightening her son's shirt and flattening his hair, much to his displeasure, as she quickly added on, "Our trunks are rather heavy, and I'm unsure if we would be able to manage them alone."

"Did someone mention my name?" Jack asked suavely from behind her ear.

She rolled her eyes, turning around to pat him on the cheek, "Nice try, flyboy. Worthless, but nice."

Jack clutched his chest, "My poor wounded pride."

"Ah well, you can work it out by lifting our trunks." She parried, "Now, are we ready to-"

The great roaring of the time rotor interrupted her, as their world pitched heavily starboard.

IOIOIOI

The metallic taste of blood filled Edward's mouth as the world slowly swam into focus around him. Wincing slightly, he tried to clamber to his knees. Feeling a huge wave of nausea washing over him, he groaned, feeling the bile swelling up from his stomach. Weakly he rolled onto his back, inhaling deeply in an attempt to push back the queasiness in the pit of his stomach, and cursing himself for finding himself in this situation.

Eventually the world returned to normal, and the ground resumed its usual place. Muttering curses to whomever had done this to him, he surveyed his accommodation. The six by eight-foot cell was a far cry from his usual accommodation. Through the barred door, the flickering light of one of the pitch torches flittered through, barely enough illumination to make out his hand in front of his face, but hopefully enough to work by. Reaching into his shoe, he extracted a piece of wire from underneath the sole, and turned his attentions to the door.

IOIOIOIOIOI

"Hang on!" Jack called out to the rest of the party as he watched the ebb and flow of the temporal vortex. It was as though they were riding an enraged buffalo at the world championships, as they tried to keep their balance against the bucking floor. Grasping onto anything anchored down, they rode through the waves, gritting their teeth. There came one final shock, and silence.

"So where are we?" Josie finally grumbled whilst trying to dislodge the elbow in her stomach.

"No idea." Jack groaned from beneath Lucy.

Lucy inclined her head to him, "Do you want me to move?"

"As much as I wish I could say no, I'm loosing feeling in my legs." Jack replied sheepishly.

She shrugged, and proceeded to clamber herself once more into an upright position.

"Sure you couldn't have avoided the extra jab?" he griped, shooting her a glare.

"More importantly than that, where are we?" Josie interjected.

"No clue."

Adrian said, "We may as well find out. After all, there's no point sitting here on our

butts when we could be finding out."

Jack looked at him, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"It's either that or sit here and wait for something bad to happen."

"And what makes you think something bad will happen? Why go out?"

"Isn't it better to find danger than to be a sitting duck?" Adrian challenged.

His uncle blinked, "Good point. But be it on your own head if you end up with post-regenerative stress syndrome!"

"I'll take your word for it."

Quickly Jack glanced at the console, "Don't worry, at least the atmosphere out there is breathable. Also looks like we're only a few hours ahead of when we were before. Only thing I can't tell you is the where."

"Thanks for the head's up, Uncle Jack!" Josie said cheerfully.

With that, the entourage headed towards the doors, and out into the golden light in a small enclave. Off to the side ran a passage along the side of a battlement.

Jack quirked an eyebrow, "Well at least the sky's pretty."

"Should we take a look around?" Lucy inquired.

"Might be a good idea." Anita replied, glancing around.

With a nod Jack said, "All right, Just let me lock up. Last thing we need is some kind of evil hitchhiker. We've had way too many of them…. We'll have to tell you some of those stories one of these days…"

Key securely pocketed, they cautiously advanced along the side of the imposing fortification, diminutive against the imposing structure looming above them. Gravel crunched beneath their feet, the uneven surface causing them to stumble as they trod onward.

Several minutes passed, without the consanguinity encountering another living creature. Deep shadows enveloped the passageway as the last dying rays of the sun fell away. A palpable tension built in the air as they continued on their way.

"I would've thought we'd have met someone by now…" Jack commented idly.

"HALT!" A voice shouted from behind them.

Lucy glared at Jack, "You just _had _to say something didn't you?"

Jack threw her his trademark flyboy grin, "Yep." He replied, grabbing her hand, "RUN!"

IOIOIOIOI

Rose was trying to repair the damage their sudden movement had caused to the coat of nail lacquer she had been in the middle of applying, with little success. Her mind kept straying to the children, and what had become of them.

Frustration finally overcame her, and regardless of the streak of pearly polish covering her hand, she stood from the sofa, and went off in search of her husband.

The TARDIS warped the corridors for her, and she soon found herself standing outside the Control room. As usual, his feet were hanging out from beneath the metal grilling, a jumbled menagerie of tools beside him, and the occasional muffled curse emanating from the tangled circuitry.

Sitting down beside his feet, she idly picked up a spanner-like object, languidly fingering the object as she listened to the sounds that filled the control room.

"Could you please pass me that, Rose?" came her husband's muffled voice.

Not even questioning how he knew she was there, she mutely handed him the object, returning to her half-hearted musings.

Another curse, a few raps and a triumphant exclamation later, he emerged, wiping off his greasy hands.

"You all right?" He asked, pulling himself up to sit across from her.

She shrugged, "Just wondering if they're all right."

"Jack's an adult." The Doctor reasoned, "And Lucy can keep him in line regardless."

"I just wish there was something we could do…" she mumbled.

Pausing slightly, he delved into the depths of his jacket, pulling out a sightly rumpled piece of paper, "It's from the TARDIS."

It simply said:

_They have to do it alone_.

Rose nodded, her shoulders slumping. The Doctor looked over at her, his face crumpled in concentration. He quickly heaved himself up, moving to one of the control panels, muttering to himself, "Not that one… You know the one I'm after…"

She looked at him in confusion, until the first notes of a piano came through the speakers.

He turned to her, "My dearest wife, May I have this dance?"

A brilliant smile broke over her face, as she took the proffered hand, "I'd be honoured."

He pulled her gently into his embrace, and she contentedly melted into the familiar embrace of her husband. The mellow voice of Billie Holiday echoed through the room, as she began to sing:

_You must remember this, _

_A kiss is just a kiss,_

_A sigh is just a sigh._

_The fundamentals still apply _

_As time goes by…_

Together the swayed, their bodies melding seamlessly as the melody wound around their hearts, The dance one that was only theirs and spanned all of eternity…

_And when two lovers woo_

_They still say I love you _

_On that you can rely_

_As time goes by…_

Gently he dipped her over his leg, softly kissing her lips, loving how her eyes shone brightly even in the dim light of the Control room.

_It's still the same old story, _

_A fight for love and Glory_

_A case of do or die._

_The world will always welcome lovers,_

_As Time goes by…_

_As Time goes by…_

As the last notes fell away, Jackie smiled from the door, as her son-in law enfolded her daughter in his arms, watching as something indescribable passed between them.

"We'll all be right, won't we?"

He placed a kiss on her forehead, "I hope so."

IOIOIOIOI

"GET YOUR SLIMY HANDS OFF ME!" Josie screamed, kicking at the two guards escorting her. Valiantly she struggled against them, all to no avail. The pair manhandled her into a dinghy cell, throwing her down on the rancid straw covering the ground.

"LET ME OUT!" She shouted at their retreating figure, all to no avail, "Damnit." She muttered, turning around to survey the room she was in.

Her eyes fell upon the man leaning against the wall, "You won't find a way out. I've been trying for at least three hours. It won't budge."

"It's something to do, at least." She grumbled, turning her attentions to the door again.

The man looked at her, "There are more productive things to do."

"Such as…" She began in agitation.

He shrugged, "You could just talk to me."

"Seriously? You certain you've tried everything?" She demanded suspiciously.

He looked straight at her through the gloom, "Indeed. I am a personage of action. I strongly dislike remaining stationary."

She smiled grimly, "I know the feeling."

"Perchance might I know your name, sir?" He asked curiously.

Josie laughed, "I'm no man. My name is Josephine Tyler, although most people call me Josie."

His eyes widened, "A lady dressed as a man?"

"Better than being killed." She replied, slumping down to the ground, "Sorry, But I don't know your name, sir."

"I am Edward the Second." He stated, standing slightly taller.

Josie quirked an eyebrow, "As in the King of England."

"I see my reputation precedes me." He chuckled.

Josie blushed furiously, " I suppose I should bow or curtsy or something…"

He waved a hand airily, "Nonsense. There's barely enough room in here as it is."

"If you say so." She replied, lapsing into silence.

Edward glanced across at her, "So…why are you here?"

Shrugging, she replied, "Just a bunch of evil creatures with bad breath on my tail. You?"

"My paternal Uncle is trying to reft the throne from me." He said nonchalantly, "Or at least as best as I can gather. He has been my Regent since my father…died."

"Ouch." she winced, "So you're not in collaboration with any eight limbed demon-looking creatures?"

He gawked at her, "Only a simpleton would dare conspire with such a Draconian devil as you describe!"

"Well, that puts you off the list…" Josie muttered, "But puts Regent…"

"Mortimer." He supplied helpfully.

"Thanks, Puts Regent Mortimer at the top." She concluded.

"What brings you to make such a conclusion?" He inquired.

She sighed, "My friend's keep was attacked in the very early hours of this morning. Before they struck, they demanded surrender of the Tempest, whatever that is, in the name of the king."

He paused mindfully, "I have heard stories of the Tempest among the villagers, always spoken of in speculative whispers… However I give you my word that I would never seek to do harm to my own people, especially without grounds upon which to do so." He cursed under his breath,

Josie folded her arms across her chest, "So…Basically, we have to save England from total chaos, usurp the throne from a deranged uncle, get rid of an army of –what was the term you used? - Draconian devils? - And get through it alive?"

"It certainty sounds as good a plan as any. Yet I detect one flaw…" he began.

"And that would be?"

He grinned, "We need to be out of here to do it.?"

IOIOIOIOI

Cotton candy filled Adrian's head as the dim moonlight filtered through his eyelids. Dazedly, he pushed back the stuffed feeling in his head, opening his eyes to reveal a small cell. He winced as he sat up, the world reeling around him.

"Great…" He muttered, "Forty eight hours and I'm already in gaol!"

"You're awake!" Senka murmured from the other side of the room, relief spreading over his face, as he quickly glanced down to the figure layed across his lap.

"Not that I wanted to take a nap…" Adrian began, noticing the limp form. His face went ashen, "Anita…" In an instant he was next to them, grasping her hand and feeling for a pulse.

Senka sighed, "She's been out since we were thrown in here. I've done what I could…"

Adrian grimaced distractedly, "Thanks. Josie?"

"Heard her screaming, so she's alive. As for Mother and Jack, Neither sight nor sound."

Suddenly, an incoherent mumbling interrupted their conversation.

"Anita!" Adrian exclaimed, engulfing her in a bone-crushing hug.

"Oof! S'no need to choke me to death…" she grumbled, "I only feel like I've been hit by a road train…"

"You're alive!" Adrian sighed.

She gagged, "Not for much longer…"

"Sorry!" He muttered apologetically.

"You're forgiven. So what do we do now?" She demanded, weakly sitting up with assistance from both boys.

"Escape?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Wonder if Josie's come up with that yet?" Senka commented drily.

IOIOIOIOI

_How could I have been so **stupid!** _Jack thought to himself as he paced back and forth across the tiny cell he presently occupied. Not only was barely large enough to pass as a broom cupboard, but it _stank!_

He was weaponless, and more importantly, alone. Not to mention he was hungry, and in need of something caffeinated or alcoholic. Or both. Nothing around which passed as a lock pick, and as far as he could tell, he was the one unlucky enough to be shoved into the cell with the padlock outside the door in reach only to a gorilla.

The dilemma of being alone was one that had slightly more implication. If the combined Tyler heirachy didn't completely kill him, he would be lucky. To come away with all appendages in tact would take a miracle. He had heard the demanding shouts of someone earlier, so at the very least he had hope they may still be alive. Whether or not they were together was another matter entirely.

Frustration welled up inside him, and his head collided with the brick wall once, twice, thrice…

Suppressing a moan, he slid down the wall into the putrid bedding that currently constituted the entirety of his possessions. Desperately he wished for something to happen.

Suddenly a gut-wrenching scream reft through the air.

IOIOIOIOI

Anita and Adrian looked up from where they were attempting to pick locks as the scream reverberated around their cell. Soon a second, younger and terrified shriek joined the first.

IOIOIOIOI

"KATHRINE!" Edward shouted, racing to the bars, fear in his wide eyes, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER?"

A malicious laugh mingled in the air, cold and carrying as the shriek crescendoed to echo into all whom heard it.

"Stand back." Josie stated, her eyes flashing dangerously.

Edward turned, his mouth opened to retaliate, yet the words died on his lips.

"Stand back." She repeated. The winds began to pick up around her, the air began sizzling with electricity.

He obeyed.

A dangerous look came into her eyes, the sense of impending doom growing until it was palpable.

The door exploded into a million shards.

As did the wall.

IOIOIOIOIOI

A.N: Squee! Sugar High! I'm TWO reviews off 100, do you think we could get to 110 before I post the next chapter? If you've read, REVIEW! I LOVE hearing what you have to say, and it helps me HEAPS! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, but flames will be used for blow-torching locks :oP….


	14. Ties That Bind

A.N: I'VE GOT THE BOX SET! YAY! And twenty four hours later, I've watched right through the eps (apart from TEOTW and TUD. Coz my bro watches them over and over and over… You get my point), still working my way through the special features. Still… BACK ON TRACK! (Slaps self!)

Thanks (As usual) Go to… Joshwales (Not in this story!), Ark Led (I agree, although he's growing on me, He don't belong in this universe!), Dory Shotgun (This will explain everything! I hope…), Freak and proud (Not really, like your logic, but she is who she is, and everyone is unique!), Danielle (I'm pretty sure I've said it before, but Heck, I don't mind OD I'm an Australian, and I couldn't be anything other than an Aussie. I live in Sydney, was in at the Town Hall today, and my grandma had a pet kangaroo when she was growing up), James Jago (Hmm… I haven't looked at it yet, but I'm usually pretty good with my english…), And Kazzy.

So now, I believe it is time to return to scheduled proceedings.

Till Next Time!

_Thought of the Day:** You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm. **_

_**-Colette**_

The Greatest Summer of All Time, Chapter 14.

Ties That Bind

_By Starlite1._

"Great," Adrian snapped as he pelted around the corner, "You couldn't just think of something easier, and maybe…_Less Destructive? _Like a coat hanger, a hairpin… Something other than blowing the sides of the walls out?"

Josie glared at her brother, "Fine! _You're _in charge of busting us out next time! As far as I'm concerned, we're out, we're going to try and escape, and do something crazy and death-defying along the lines of what Mum and Dad usually do."

Anita, Jack and Senka hurtled around the corner, "Sounds like a plan." Anita panted.

"Only problem is we've got a whole bunch of guards on our tails." Senka explained.

Josie cursed, "Damnit! Let's move then. Last thing I want to be is someone's dinner."

With that they took off down the corridor, Edward trailing confusedly behind them.

"By the way," Adrian called back, "How do you know there'll be a next time."

"I don't know. I _just _know…"

IOIOIOIOIOI

The ground was painfully hard as Lucy was thrown into an ill-lit room. Her entire being ached with abuse, and she could feel at least one cracked rib. Struggling to sit up, she glanced around the room. It was bare and functional, with a sleeping pallet in the centre, and a dying hearth in the grate. Lying in a crumpled heap in front of the grate was another woman.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, she crawled over to turn her onto her back. Massive purple bruises covered her face and limbs. Her dark dress was ripped and shredded. Blood matted her hair, and her right arm hung at a most peculiar angle. Through the damage reft upon her, Lucy could see a glimmer of youth, a hint of handsomeness now disguised by abuse.

_You poor girl…_Lucy thought, gingerly ripping strips off her dress, and beginning work on the injuries. She didn't have much to work with, but what she did have would last until Jack arrived.

She hoped.

IOIOIOIOI

"In here!" Edward hissed, ducking into a side passage. Quickly the rest joined him, as the sound of boots clattered on the cobblestones. So far they had been forced into hiding by six patrols, and the stress was evident on each of their faces.

Slowly the patrol receded away from their position, drawing a sigh of relief from the escapees.

"So who is it we're trying to find?" Jack agitatedly murmured.

Edward glared at him, "My closest friend and confidant, my good sir. He has stood by me since my youth, and I have frequently trusted with me with my life. I give you my firmest assurance he is dependable."

Jack scowled, but firmly bit his tongue.

"Talk about macho conflict!" Anita muttered to Josie. She couldn't help but nod in consent.

Meanwhile, Adrian was busy prodding the wall. Stone grating on stone filled the air. The smell of damp, earthy air filled the passage, halting the brewing argument.

"Uhm… Would this help?" He asked uncertainly.

Jack just blinked, and Josie intervened, "Yep, my dear brother, that will help."

With that, she boldly pushed aside the cobwebs, ploughing into the darkness.

IOIOIOIOI

The girl tossed and turned fretfully in her sleep, battling against unseen enemies in a feverish conflict. Knowing there was little she could do without her kit, Lucy kept her vigil.

Time had no meaning in the dim chamber. Occasionally sounds would filter in, snippets of a fragile connection to the outside world. Fervently she wished for some measure of time, a reference point in the twilight.

When she awoke, she awoke with a scream. Her eyes snapped open, bloodshot and terrified.

"Calm down!" Lucy soothed, trying to calm the wild look in her eyes.

As her breathing slowed, she became aware of what was around her.

"Your injuries are grave. I cannot do much for you here." Lucy soothed her

She moaned as she jolted her arm, "I have returned to this prison? Or might this be some sort of unholy torture of the afterlife?"

"You are alive." Lucy replied, "If barely. Might I inquire after your name?"

"Pray forgive me my rambling." She requested through clenched teeth, "I am Lady Katherine Tannin, confidant and spy mistress to His Highness. And presently captive herein for at least a fortnight."

"You have every right to ramble. There are few I have met who can endure injuries such as yours without loosing their cohesiveness. I am Tam Lucia, healer and traveller." She said, gingerly helping the spy mistress to sit up, tending once more to the broken arm, "Although most people tend to call my Lucy."

"I am honoured." Katherine said, hissing as a bandage was tightened.

Lucy grimaced apologetically, "I am sorry for this pain, but without it your arm shan't heal correctly. If I had a draught to give you, be assured I would."

"I thank you for your kindness." Katherine said, her face relaxing as Lucy rested her arm in a makeshift sling made from yet another strip of her tattered dress.

Katherine looked inquisitively at her dress, "Your frock is in a dreadful state, Ma'am. I feel rather ashamed it is on my behalf."

"How do you know that this is not how my clothing generally is?" she replied nonchalantly.

"You seem far to courteous to settle for remaining in a state of untidiness, if I may be so bold to say."

Lucy smiled self consciously, "And if I may be so bold, you appear to be a very astute persona."

"It comes from working beside such a man as Edward for fourteen years."

"Do you hold him in high regard?"

"Most certainly. He is a most wonderful character, and his absence these past seasons has been particularly difficult."

"How so?"

Katherine shrugged helplessly, a blush creeping up her cheeks, "He is a confidant, who understands what I do, how I think. Most womenfolk believe I am rouge. Edward's absence had made my duty to him far more difficult. Then of course there is the Regent…"

IOIOIOIOI

Mortimer stumbled dazedly along the corridor, following the instructions fed to him by his masters. He half walked, half collapsed down the stairway to the dungeons, not noticing the melee of guards rushing around haplessly or the rubble fallen across everything. Purposefully he was drawn to the cell that had previously held his nephew.

"Where are the prisoners who heretofore occupied this cell?" He mechanically demanded of the closest guard.

Nervously, he shrugged, "Gone. Along with all the others that were detained. We are currently seeking to intern them once more."

A dangerous look crept into the expression of the regent. His hand drew back in what seemed like slow motion, crashing down upon the unsuspecting guard with terrifying force, before he dashed off once more into the darkness.

IOIOIOI

Cobwebs ghosted over Josie's face as she fumbled along the corridor blindly. Behind her came the occasional mutterings from the rest of the party. Cursing the lack of illumination, she felt the wall fall away. Adrian collided into her behind rather unceremoniously, sending her sprawling.

"Could you watch it please?" She grumbled, searching once more for the wall, "Again, and I'll have to take up living on the ground!"

"If I could see half an inch in front of my eyes, be assured my dear sis that I would use it to avoid your rear I end. I have no pleasure in meeting you rump."

They suddenly fell silent as the trepidating sound of marching footsteps. Instantly they fell silent, frozen with fear.

Muffled voices filtered in, "_Smith……No sign of……Trepidating…Tannin?…wish we could…Regent…"_

"Officer's quarters." Edward hissed, "Safe if needed."

A rather booming command issued through the wall, _"Attention!"_ Instantaneously the sound of forty pairs of boots snapping together came.

"_Men, ready for inspection! His Royal Highness returns before the morn. You allegiance to his righteous reign demands it of you."_

"It's John!" Edward whispered excitedly.

Jack rolled his eyes, "That's great, so we just march out there, get ourselves captured and thrown back into gaol?

"You still doubt my fortitude?" Edward demanded in vexation.

"No," Jack disagreed, "It's just that I've already been gaol twice this week, and I would rather not visit one again."

"Would it not be more beneficial in the long run to take the risk and see if they can assist us?" Senka interrupted, his voice sharp.

Jack sighed in frustration, "Fine, if we must. But if your parents kill me, I'm blaming you!" He paused for a moment, "Only problem is getting out of here."

Silence.

"Stop staring at me!" Josie moaned.

"How do you know we're staring at you?" Anita questioned smugly.

"I can feel it." She retorted huffily, "And don't you think an explosion in the middle of the barracks _might_ just raise suspicion?"

"Could you try doing it slightly less… violently?" Adrian suggested impatiently.

Josie finally asked resignedly, "Are you sure there's no exit?"

Adrian rolled his eyes, "What do you think we've been doing whilst you've been having your little spat? Now do you want to do something worthwhile, or sit around all day moaning like the spoilt **_brat _**I know you're not?"

"Fine!" she snapped.

He grinned, "Great. But try calming down."

"Do _you _want to try this?"

He blinked at her, "Could I?"

"You are her brother." Jack pointed out, "So it might work for you, and it's not as if we have much to lose at this point."

"Yeah…" Adrian shrugged, focusing on the wall. Quickly, beads of perspiration condensed on his forehead. Slowly, cracks of light appeared around one stone as it moved millimetre by millimetre. He began to tremble, straining against the brick as it stubbornly refused to move any further.

Finally in exasperation, he folded to the floor, "Couldn't do it." He gulped, the trembling fading, "Guess the telekinesis is all yours, sis."

"Oi!" Anita demanded, stumbling over to sit beside him, "You did brilliantly, the brick's looser, at least."

"Yeah, you did brilliantly, my dear big bro!" Josie said cheerfully.

"Now it shouldn't be so explosive…" Senka added thoughtfully.

"Sorry to disrupt the lovey-dovey team building moment, kids…" Jack interrupted, "But we do have a damsel in distress to rescue."

"Two, actually." Edward corrected.

Jack mock-glared at the King, "Never mind _that_, but every second we stay here is one less to tackle the Z'keth and get out of here!"

"Fine!" Josie grumbled, focusing on the brick her brother had shifted. With a sound halfway between a cork popping and skidding on a beach, it shot out across the outer room, colliding soundly with the other wall. Blinding light blasted into the passageway, momentarily dazzling them.

"WHAT?" Roared one of the soldiers, as they all crowded around the entrance.

"John!" Edward blurted out, pushing past Josie, to his old friend.

"Your Majesty!" John exclaimed in puzzlement, "You have returned! Why were we not informed of this happenstance?"

Edward pursed his lips, "My dear uncle, old friend. You were right about him. He is in league with devils, whom threaten the very lifeblood and people of our kingdom."

"How have you come to such accusations?" one of the men asked.

"They attacked my keep." Senka stated calmly, "Close to five hundred creatures without provocation waged a battle against my home, in the name of the king."

John turned to him, "And who are you to give such a statement, boy?"

Senka merely raised an eyebrow, "I am one of the men who fought them."

"You are but a child." Another scoffed.

"Appearances are often deceiving." He calmly retorted, "I did not rise to the reputation of one of the finest swordsmen in my home district without validation. I assure you of my honour and fidelity behind such a statement."

"And I have given my word I would and never have requested such an action against my own subjects." Edward added, "Thus, Mortimer being in league with them has become the evident reason behind it. 'Twas also backed by our previous correspondence, old friend."

"Then why were we not henceforth informed of your return?"

Edward pursed his lips, "That would be because my friends here and I were detained most unceremoniously by the regent and his followers. It was a rather unsavoury undertaking, and not one I wish to have to endure again."

John smiled grimly, "I believe, Your majesty, that action is therefore required?"

"I could not have said it better myself."

"Long Live the King!" The troops chorused happily at the prospect of adventure.

"Now I believe that none of you have seen Lady Tannin recently?" Heads shook, and Edward grimaced, "Then it is confirmed it was her whom I heard from our cell. Also my new friend's companion has also been taken. With any luck she is with Lady Tannin."

"Might I inquire as to the identity of this Lady?" John asked.

"My mother, the Lady Lucy, and Jack, my father's wife." Senka explained, firmly treading on Jack's foot as he opened his mouth.

John nodded, "For your wife then, Milord, we shall dedicate our resources."

"I…thank you, gracious sir." Jack said in a strangled voice.

"It would be dishonourable not to act, sir, but I accept your thanks gratefully. Although, presently I do believe we need a strategy to assist in the recovery of the womenfolk…"

IOIOIOI

The bed was warm and comfortable, as usual, yet rest would not come to Rose and The Doctor. Time slowed to a standstill, leaving them tossing and turning, their minds jumping around like fretful terriers.

"Still awake?" The Doctor asked quietly.

Rose shifted beside him, "Yep." A small sigh, "Nothing I can do about it, though, is there?"

He made no reply, simply gathering her into his arms, sensing the tension flowing out of her.

"Thankyou, My Theta." She murmured tiredly.

He quirked an eyebrow inquisitively, "We're getting into first names, my dearest?"

"Mhmm." She nodded in assent, "Still nothing we can do, is there?"

"Yes there is." He disagreed.

She shifted to stare him straight in the eyes, "And that would be…"

"Trust them. They've taken everything that this crazy trip has thrown at them so far, without batting an eyelash."

"Whatever's happening out there could be worse than what we've done so far." She retorted worriedly.

He gently kissed her head, "Then they'll take it in their stride with barely a blink of their eyes, and be home in time for tea tomorrow."

She smiled and snuggled deeper below the covers and into his arms, "Did we make the right choice when we kept them home?" She asked.

The Doctor considered, "The way we chose to do it was one that let them grow up normally. Not only did they learn everything on earth up to this point, but the grew up with people who love them." He paused, collecting his thoughts, "Sure they probably could have coped with it. But think of it this way: If they had been in the TARDIS from the second they were born, they'd never have known their grandmother as well as they do now, your mother probably would slap me every time we went for Sunday tea."

"You do have a point…" Rose began unconvincedly.

"And, she would probably be stuck, bored out of her wits back on the Estate, dressed like some trollop! Then of course, we come to Anita. Think of what she'd be like if she'd never met Josie. Not to sound boastful, but she would probably be a lost, isolated kid with no past, no future, and nothing to dream about apart from doom on a council estate for the rest of eternity…"

Rose mulled this slowly, "And instead she's fiery, and the best friend Josie could have asked for."

"Of course," the Doctor commented flippantly, "At the moment they could be sprinting for their lives after a dashing escape from prison…"

IOIOIOIOI

"So the plan is thus." John said, tapping the castle's plan impatiently, "We must stake out the positions of the draconian devils and dispose of them with the minimum amount of disruption. Meanwhile, His Majesty, Jack, myself and the remainder of their party shall endeavour to recover the Ladies with the minimum amount of fuss available. Yet none of us should hesitate to eradicate these foul imposters who aim to usurp the glorious name of England. Art thou with me?"

"AYE!" Roared the hundred or so men who had assembled in the officer's mess.

Josie glanced across at Anita, who was attempting to stifle a giggle. At her inquisitive stare, Anita replied, "We are supposed to be taking them by surprise, right?"

Realisation slowly dawned, leaving Josie in desperate need of air.

"What's with them?" Adrian asked Senka.

"No clue."

The men quickly departed from the huge room, leaving Jack, Edward, John and a small entourage of guards waiting towards the back.

"We were able to retrieve these from the store." John indicated, pointing to the

collection of paraphernalia placed on the table before them.

"My dagger!" Adrian exclaimed cheerfully, belting it on with fondness.

As well as the cherished blade, there was an extensive collection of weaponry and armour suitable to the occasion. Each selected a sword, a mace and chain armour, belting each item on hastily in an effort to be ready and focus on the task at hand. A double-check to ensure no faults that would see to their downfall at the most crucial moment, and they marched out to confront what lay ahead.

IOIOIOIOI

"Four hundred and forty seven…four hundred and forty eight…. Four hundred and forty nine…Four hundred and fifty…" Katherine counted, trying to ignore her arm.

"Having fun?" Lucy asked her dryly.

"Not really…Four hundred and fifty two…It is something to pass the time…. Four hundred and fifty three-"

The distant clash of steel upon steel abruptly interrupted her.

Lucy pursed her lips grimly, "It's starting."

"They've found out." She stated.

"It certainly seems so."

"How?"

She paused, "Senka's somehow involved in this, I just know it."

"Your son?" Katherine inquired.

"Yes. He has a horrendous knack of finding himself in the middle of trouble. Especially in the kitchens…"

Katherine attempted to smile, yet only managed a grimace, "My younger sister was like-"

"You Two. Up. Now." Came a voice from the door, the figure hidden in shadows.

The pair exchanged a wary glace, "Why?"

It came forward, claws clicking menacing, and the stench of death rolling off it as it loomed over them.

IOIOIOIOIOI

The first party they encountered was patrolling along the castle boundary. John quickly signalled for the men to take up strike positions as they returned.

"Now!" He shouted, plunging forward, sword in hand.

The fight was quick and bloody. Moonlight glinted upon the slicked blades, as they expertly dispersed of them, their claws barely having the chance to land a scratch, let alone a mortal blow.

The last was entangled with Jack. A claw darted out, slashing Jack's shoulder. His eyes widened momentarily, before instinct took over, and he disposed of his enemy.

"Blasted Z'keth." He muttered, checking his shoulder.

The local members blinked at him in confusion, "Z'keth?"

"That's their proper name." Josie explained, moving over to check his wound.

Hastily, she ripped part of her shirt, cleaning his shoulder, before using another strip

to bind it, "You want to go back?" She asked him irritably.

"Not going to happen." He said determinedly

Grimly they pressed onwards.

IOIOIOIOI

"Did you find them?" The figure asked.

"No. They are lost." Mortimer responded.

Claws clicked against the armrest, "This is not acceptable. They should have been retrieved by now. Order the troops to apprehend them."

"Sir!" one of his soldiers interrupted, "The human troops!"

The figure spun, eyes flashing a menacing scarlet, "Where. Are. They?"

"Gone." The soldier answered helplessly.

He snarled incoherently, bolting to his feet, grabbing his chair and pummelling the ground with it and sending wood splinters blasting everywhere, "FIND THEM!"

Without waiting for dismissal, the soldier fled, leaving the Regent staring blankly into the abyss.

Slowly, the figure's temper calmed down, "It seems, my dear Mortimer, that my orders have been vetoed by your foolish nephew. He will pay. So will those _brats _and their good for nothing family, You mark my words." Slowly he turned, "Now, I believe it is time we relocated. My throne awaits, and I shall be extremely satisfied to see their downfall from there."

IOIOIOI

The hours ticked by, the midnight watch long since called. Steadily they made their way around the boundary of the castle, only encountering a few minor skirmishes along the way.

Unfortunately their good fortune soon ran out. The party they encountered close to the third hour past midnight was not so easily overcome as the first. Four dozen soldiers were marching, guarding a pair of massive, imposing doors, flanked either side by row upon row of tapered windows

"The throne room." Edward whispered, "The heart of the castle."

At that precise moment, one of the infantry shouted out, "SIR, THE FELONS!"

"That's not good, is it?" Anita said desperately, head turning to Adrian.

He drew his sword, "Not good at all."

Valiantly they ploughed into their enemy. The soldiers steadfastly march forth, blades colliding in a shower of sparks and blood.

One broke from the main group, advancing upon Anita. Her eyes grew wide in alarm, until something within her snapped. With a wail like a banshee, she ploughed into the creature, skewering him. The blood flowed out of him like a river. He grunted slightly before going limp, the life force fading from him. At the realisation of what she had done, the spark in her eyes faded, shock threatening to overcome her.

Covering her back, Adrian shouted, "You did what you had to do. If you hadn't, that would be you on the ground. You can pull yourself together, we've gotta push on!"

She simply nodded muttered, clamping down on the urge to retch and grimly pressing on.

IOIOIOIOIOI

"So you have finally grasped the courage to finish me off, Tregornan?" Katherine demanded through her newly acquired swollen lip.

The figure turned to face her, "Tut, tut. Come now, Miss Tannin, do we really have to resort to name calling?"

"Your own name is an insult to this world!" She snarled.

Tregornan waltzed over to loom over her, ignoring her. Calmly he drew his claws back, and without warning struck Lucy, slicing her from shoulder to abdomen, "Every insult you fling at me is another wound for your dear friend here, you insolent bitch."

Hatred burnt in her eyes, yet seeing Lucy grimace against the pain, she held her tongue.

Smugly, Tregornan loomed over them, "Wise move, mistress spy. Should you have spoken, there would have been more flesh to fill our stomachs come dawn. As it is, we have quite a nice specimen selected…"

A pair of tiny girls, barely past their fifth summer were dragged into the room. Tears fell down their faces like diamonds from heaven as they beat their tiny fists against the guards that held them. They shrieked piercingly, their terror fuelling their already powerful lungs.

"NOOOOO!" Katherine let out a blood-curdling scream.

IOIOIOIOI

Time halted.

Power crackled within Josie's icy orbs.

Apprehensively, her friends drew in around her.

"This. Ends. Here."

IOIOIOIOI

A.N: Yikes, My longest chapter yet! This was a blast to write, and I hope you had just as much fun reading it! Still, Please review and tell me! Constructive criticism is always welcome, and flames shall be used to blast up Geith!


	15. End of the Innocence

A.N: I'm on fire! Then again, that might have something to do with the amazingly oppressive heat here today… Still, two chaps out in less than a week!

Thanks go to… James Jago (I seem to have a thing about cliffies…), Freak and Proud (Hope this is to your liking!), Kazzy (Well, trouble does seem to be their middle name…), Dory Shotgun (V. Proud was able to raise chills! Theta came from about 125 fics which mention that as his name, As to what happens next, read at the bottom!), and Laseri.

You **5 **reviewers are brilliant! As to the rest of you, PLEASE Review, as I need something to keep me going up to Christmas! Esp. Considering this chappie is… well, best not spoil it! Still, leave me a review, even if it's only to say it's good, and merry Christmas!

Anyway, take care, and until next time, Take Care!!

_Thought of the day: **Young people do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible- and achieve it, generation after generation. –Pearl Buck. **_

The Greatest Summer of All Time, Chapter 15.

The End of the Innocence.

_By Starlite1 _

The door blasted into a million shards, the shockwave ripping every window into a downpour of glass, tearing through the cacophony of sound, leaving a deafening silence in its wake.

"This. Ends. Here." She repeated, stepping over the wreckage. Her eyes lingered upon the faces of the two women, one whose gaze, filled with hatred was trained on the figure before them.

Tregornan turned on her, shock then recognition flashing in his eyes, "We meet again, Tempest. And you're just in time to see my latest triumph." His hand reached destructively out, grasping at the closest girl. As biting talons ripped into the soft skin of her neck, a whimper escaped her mouth and she was hoisted into the air. Tears fell anew as sharp claws dug into her flesh, drawing blood.

"No! You will not harm her!" Josie stated, focusing her attention intently on the offending limb. Suddenly, the blade jumped out of Adrian's belt, embedding it firmly in the creature's arm.

"Argh!" He screamed in agony, dropping the petrified girl to the ground in a lambasted heap, "_You dare…"_he hissed, enraged. Slowly he withdrew the blade, the green-tinged blood flashing as he cast it to the side.

"Yes we do dare." Adrian stated calmly, resting a reassuring hand on his sister's left arm, "Because we're the ones who can."

"As usual, the Sage makes a pathetically soppy statement." He replied snidely.

"Pleased to have been of service." Came the retort.

The only warning was a burning flash of red in his eyes, as Tregornan suddenly lashed out at the quartet, claws whizzing through the air towards their target.

Only to be stopped by Senka's gleaming blade.

A dry, heartless chuckle emanated from the monstrosity before them, "Ah, so the entire quartet is here. At least it shall make our task that much easier."

"And what right do you have to interfere in history?" Anita demanded, coming beside them and giving whatever menial support she could to her best friends. Outside the chaos of battle grew once more, the sounds echoing through the great vaulted ceiling.

"We are what fate has made us. Semper fateum." His gaze turned to Josie, "You are the Tempest, And I am the leader of the Z'Keth. Neither of us asked for this, yet this is who we are. And yet you stand before me, claiming the power of the heavens, saying I have no right. Where lies the fidelity in that?"

Slowly she stepped forward, as every single eye focused upon the two and weapons clattered to the ground, "Where lies the fidelity in killing innocent young children? In beating a woman to within an inch of her life merely because you feel like it, or because she has the sense to realise something's wrong?"

"Do you know what Z'Keth means?" He whispered. Slowly, they began circling each other, predators awaiting the chance to strike. Neither dared to look away, the sounds from outside once again fading to nothingness.

Two steps left, "How could I?"

"**_You_** gave us the name. We are the Outcasts, the destroyers. Mutants who the universe exiled, left to wander, now ready to seek our rightful revenge, and take the universe as our own. And what better place to begin than the cradle?" Suddenly she felt a psychic barb shoot out, barely managing to avoid it, barriers springing into existence, a shield of stubbornness over her spirit.

"Nice try." She said, gasping slightly. Instantly she retaliated, mentally punching back with an ability she didn't know she had. His head reeled from the force of the blow.

Warily their strange dance continued, each letting an attack fly unexpectedly, only to be deftly knocked back. And still their verbal struggle continued.

"You humans are so easy to manipulate." Tregornan commented, trying to throw her.

"Is that what you did to the Regent?" Josie demanded, fending the attack, only to send a shattered beam of wood zooming across towards him.

He smirked, fangs bared, unsteadily halting the projectile, "He fell so easily. Like a puppet on a string, with me at controls, free to do with what I wished, if it hadn't been for the meddling fools…"

"You mean Edward?"

"And that whore of his, Katherine. Still, she will see the error of her ways, or at least the insides of a burial chamber."

"I doubt it." She replied, flinging a brick, oblivious of the indignation the previous statement had caused.

"You flatter me."

"Oh, no indeed." The power snapped instantaneously, pinning him against a pillar,

"You see, there's one thing you forgot."

"And that would be…"

"We don't give up without a fight."

He stared her directly in the eye, "How clumsy of me. And yet I seem to be winning."

"I'm not the one pinned against the wall."

She wasn't ready for the knee to the stomach, "Cheap shot." She grunted, her grasp on her opponent sliding.

His eyes glimmered in triumph, his claws raising to swipe down fatally.

Instantly, Senka was there once more, staving off the certainly fateful blow, "You want her, go through me."

"And so the Protector shows his heart. How touching…And how satisfying to quash it like a bug."

Senka raised an eyebrow, "Leave, or we will stop you."

Tregornan snorted, "You and what army?"

"The one that has decimated your forces outside." He commented nonchalantly, "And yet we seem to be winning."

Josie gingerly stood up beside him, gently laying a hand on his arm, "He's right. You _will _leave. You will never return, and if the only way to ensure you and your so-called army give these people a chance is to never give you the opportunity to draw breath again, then that, in my mind is worth it."

"Thus, the high and mighty time lady descends from heaven to kill in cold blood." He scoffed, "My, how the mighty have fallen."

"In Cold blood? I'm not the reptile here." She retorted, "And I'm not the one who just tried to kill an innocent child!"

"You can look me in the eye and proclaim that, yet you feel no remorse for the drones whom _you _destroyed? _Do you deny it?_" he challenged.

The breath shuddered into Josie, "At least I did it to _save _the people whom _you _ordered massacred! Where lies the justice in using weapons which won't be invented for _centuries!? If I hadn't done what I did, then what would that have made me?"_

A cold, cruel cackle came from him.

Regaining her composure, she stared directly into his fiery red orbs, "You will leave here."

"Not until I've taken down every human and feasted upon their flesh…"

"You and what army?" Anita asked smugly.

Disbelievingly, Tregornan glared out through the doors into the courtyard, where the King's men were standing over the bodies of their enemies, whilst others attended to their fallen comrades.

Turning to stare around inside, he realised his own focus on his own conflict had seen his entire force decimated. He growled at the sight of Jack and Edward releasing the two women. Senka smiled as his mother collapsed into Jack's arms.

The four drew together, advancing upon Tregornan.

"It is over, Tregornan." Katherine grinned from where Edward supported her, "You have lost, and now you have to face the consequences."

A look of desperation flashed over his visage, his eyes darted around, looking for escape. Before him, Josie once again began to gather energy together.

He glanced down at his arm, fiddling with something, before there was a snap a flash of dark, blinding light, and he was gone.

In that moment, the sun ascended over the horizon, searing through the throne room. The wind came blasting through the shattered windows, tousling Anita's hair as the rays caught the red streaks, sending flames out in a halo around her head. As Josie released the energy, she felt her muscles succumb to fatigue. In an instant the two boys were at her side, Senka grasping her right arm, Adrian her left, managing to keep her upright.

"It's over." She whispered, leaning her head against Senka's shoulder, "It's finally over…"

IOIOIOI

"…Thus, we find the Regent Mortimer Guilty of Treason, and thus sentence him to Hanging, drawing and quartering." John resignedly proclaimed to the assembly laid out before him.

Mortimer was lead up the gallows by the two masked executioners, each step mechanical, his face distanced as though it were only a mask.

Together they huddled down the back, cloaks pulled tight against the wind. Close by Katherine and Edward stood, not daring to touch, but the mutual grief between them surmounting their physical restrictions.

The noose was slipped over his head, double-checked and drawn tight. And still his eyes remained hollow, unseeing and unfeeling. As he was lead to the edge of the platform, an uneasy silence descended over the crowd, not one eye able to turn away from the events that played out before them.

"_And may God have Mercy on you soul…"_John whispered, sounding like a scream in the uneasy hush.

His feet moved forward, taking the final steps over the edge. The sickening thud echoed through the air, as thousands of birds took to the skies with a cry. Anita buried her face in Adrian's neck, his hands gently rubbing over her shoulders, yet not daring to say a word.

She felt the presence ghost over her, just for a single moment in time, sorrow and…relief? Josie shook her head, shrugging of the shivers coursing down her spine.

And still the birds swooped overhead, their mournful lament echoing in the silence.

IOIOIOI

"I pray, do not tell me this is goodbye?" Edward asked them dispiritedly as they stood out in the chilly air of the castle's forecourt, their breath steaming in huge white puffs.

Jack smiled, "Only for now."

Lucy glanced over at him, a smile creeping onto her face, "We have other places to see, others to meet. Friends who will be expecting us."

Edward smiled kindly at her, "At the very least we were able to restore you to your husband…"

At this Lucy shot an accusing glare at her son and companion, who had the decency to look sheepish.

Katherine gently laid a hand on arm, "We thank you for your assistance. If not for your intervention, I am certain we would find ourselves in a rather unsavoury predicament, which I doubt our country could ever have recovered from."

"It wasn't any problem." Josie said with a curtsy, the dress she had been conned into wearing dragging slightly on the frostbitten ground.

Edward gazed at each of the quartet, "It has been an honour to be part of your legend. I thank you for that. Nor could I have asked for more steadfast allies in battle. Your skills and bravery far exceed those whom have seen far more summers than you. May your courage be steadfast in whatever lies ahead on your journey, and may you take my blessings wherever the road leads you."

The four blushed with embarrassment, before bowing to the king.

As they turned to head towards home, Lucy quickly murmured to the pair, "Prudence can do you two no favours presently. Live today, because everything may be gone tomorrow. And until we meet again, I bid thee farewell."

She ran to catch up to her companions, laughing as she grasped Jack's hand.

"Godspeed, My Friends."

IOIOIOIO

"Is that the last of them?" Jack panted, dropping the final trunk in the control room.

Lucy quickly surveyed the items, nodding to herself as she catalogued each one, "It appears so."

Jack smiled in relief-another round of tearful farewells to the inhabitants of the keep would most likely break him, "_Thank_ you!" he exclaimed.

"You did offer to help the lady, Jack!" The Doctor commented, abandoning his post leaning against one of the sweeping support struts and going over to stand next to Rose at the console, "So where to next?"

"Home?" Adrian suggested.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, "Back to London?"

"Just for a bit." Anita amended, "After all, I do need to tell my 'parents' I'm going to Scotts next year."

"And I need to drop off some of this." Lucy added, indicating the mountainous summary of her worldly possessions.

"And I frankly need some down time!" Jack finished, grinning when Josie glanced up from where she was playing with Mordrid to give her agreement, deftly avoiding the snap he took at her fingers.

The Doctor shrugged, "Seems I'm outvoted. I _was _going to show you the Meteor showers on Horus IV, but I suppose that the general safety of domestic northern London is more important."

"Good." Adrian triumphed, "Still, it's not as if the meteor showers are going anywhere…"

His father merely rolled his eyes, "Push the red button, Adrian."

Quickly he began shouting out instructions, everyone gathering around the control console, buttons pushed down, switches flicked and pumps pumped as they hurtled through the Time Vortex once more. Desperately they attempted to stay upright, currents and eddies throwing them left, right and centre. Somehow they managed to remain standing.

That was until they landed.

"Ouch!" Jack complained as he ploughed into the grating, with Lucy soon crashing on top of him.

"I'll agree with that!" Anita said, wincing as she attempted to shove Adrian, Senka

And Josie off her, "I feel like a squished sandwich!"

"That's funny…" The Doctor commented as he dragged Rose up next to him, "We didn't land in the basement…"

Jackie glared at him, "You'd better not have done any more damage to my Roses!"

Sheepishly he glanced at the console, "I didn't!" he quickly exclaimed, "We missed the roses by about three feet! Can't say the same about the pansies…"

"Better the pansies then the roses!" Jackie said, smiling at the expression her son-in-law wore.

"Is it just me, or has everyone forgotten that we're supposed to be _stopping _the alien armada that is just outside?" Rose muttered, turning her eyes to the sky.

"Good point, my dearest." The Doctor told her, quickly kissing her, "It's about time we ploughed headlong into danger…" With that, he sprinted out the door, grinning at the gun barrels pointed straight at him, ignoring the wall of heat that blasted into the TARDIS.

"Where is the Tempest?" Their supposed leader demanded.

He shrugged, "Probably on the loo. What about you, then? Why are you all here?"

A dangerous flash of red seared over his eyes, "We are here for the Tempest."

"Ah, Just one problem with that." He stated, pursing his lips, "She's not going anywhere."

"And who are you to make such a statement?"

He quirked his eyebrow, "Her father. Haven't you learnt anything about over-protective fathers? Now, I suggest you buzz off, before I loose my temper." With that he turned around, "Hang about! How did you lot get here? Transport?"

The creature snarled, "Foolish _human!_ We have no need of such primitive devices! We teleported in!"

The Doctor grinned at them like a maniac, "Thank you very much. Now, I'll see you in a few minutes with a plan to defeat you!"

With that he shut the door.

Josie rolled her eyes, "Great, so what's the plan."

He shrugged, "No clue."

Suddenly Rose's face lit up, "Wait, she said _transporter! _Why not just reverse it? Like with Blond, or Margaret, or whatever her name was?"

"Because…"He began, instantly halting that thought, "That might actually work! Only thing is getting a polarity reverser out there without being blown into our composite atoms…"

Josie smiled, "Easy enough! Just let me levitate it out there!"

"You certain you can do it?" Jackie asked.

Josie simply shrugged, "Not as if we have any better options at the moment."

Jack nodded, "I'll go find one. Back in a tick!"

IOIOIOI

True to his word, less than five minutes later, Jack returned, grinning like a maniac, "Right, I've got this rigged up to a timer, so once we set it, you'll have about thirty seconds till they all disappear."

Josie nodded, "Let me at them!" She said, grinning wolfishly.

Holding said object in her hand, she gathered her mental power, and shot the whizzing, bleeping device out into the sultry summer heat.

A high-pitched whining built in the air, drawing the attention of the invaders. The sound crescendoed, until they departed with a snap.

They breathed in a sigh of relief.

"Just out of curiosity," Anita began, "What's to stop them simply re-transporting down here?"

The Doctor blinked, "I hadn't thought of that…"

Jack glanced across at him, before turning to the display, "Well, the Z'Keth never were that good with transporter technology, so my guess is that there's a relay somewhere."

"The Castle at Aldonreigh?" Senka suggested.

"Bingo!" Jack exclaimed victoriously, "Right where you suggested."

Adrian crossed his arms, "So you're saying we're going to plough in there, destroy the beam relay?"

"Then return home in time for dinner?" Anita concluded.

"Even though we shall probably have to fight our way through at least a few battalions of soldiers?" Senka mused.

"And then run for our lives?" Josie added.

"You lot up for it?" The Doctor asked.

They glanced at each other, maniac grins breaking out on their faces, "Yeah!"

IOIOIOIOI

A.N: Only a few more things to wrap up, and then **gasp! ** It's over (For now…)! Now, shock horror, if you want them, I do actually have a series planned, and I want to do a Christmas piece, which will lead into the next story. So if you're interested, then LEAVE A REVIEW!!! Constructive criticism will help me keep up the amazingly high standards of my school (FIRST IN ENGLISH EXTENSION!!!! GO MAUREEN!!!) and (Considering atm Josie & Co. need ammo…) Flames will be used to light cans of Nitro 9 for blasting up Z'Keth bases!


	16. Epilogue

A.N: Wow, last chapter! Can't believe this ever made it this far- and into a sequel!

Thanks go to… Dory Shotgun (YOU NOTICED! I've been waiting for someone to pick that up! There _is _a discrepancy between the number of times they have met… That's because the Z'Keth met Josie before, _But _that was in the quartet's future. For that story, you'll just have to wait… As for the Christmas Special, (Yes the BBC have done one, but so have I!) read at the bottom! Merry Christmas to you too!), James Jago, Schnozberry (Glad you liked it!), Freak and Proud (Make sure you add the next story then! I'm not stopping! (I'm unstoppable! Which is why I'm never asleep before midnight…) Goblet, I haven't seen :oC, but I will eventually. Theta is a letter of the Greek Alphabet, and it's also the Doctor's name (according to heaps of stories on this and Whofic…) and Merry Christmas to you too!), Kazzy ( Just for you, hun, I've made sure it isn't gone at all, just started a new Summer! I've been working on it around the clock, and so get through to the end to find out! I'm so glad you've enjoyed it!) and Laseri (Yep this is the last chapter of _this _installment! I've made sure that this chap, the chrissie special AND the first chappie of the next story all came out at once. Hope you enjoy it! As for the psychic fight, I'm not completely sure where it came from, but the mind is your strongest weapon, so it stemmed from there (and from my excessive time in the shower…))

I'd just like to make a note, now everything is tied up. Edward II and his Uncle Mortimer truly did exist, and just as in this story, Mortimer did attempt to take over the throne of England during the 1330's-and failed, just as the Black plague was first showing signs in Asia (All right, artistic licence there, but it could have been smallpox!). So to Edward, I would like to extend my thanks, for giving me such brilliant circumstances to work with!

And to everyone else who has read this, thank you! It has been one hell of a ride!

P.S. Read the A.N at the bottom!

Cya, Starlite1

The Greatest Summer of All Time, Chapter 16

Epilogue

_By Starlite1_

"Hurry up, you lot!" Jackie bellowed up the stairs, "You don't want to be late on the first day of school!"

Josie's head poked out of her bedroom, "Nearly ready! Just trying to cram in the last bit!"

Rose rolled her eyes as she came into the entryway, "You have sixty seconds, you lot! 59…58…57…"

Senka came sprinting out into the hall, drag along suitcase bouncing wildly behind him, "Ready, Rose."

She smiled, "Great, 30…29…Don't forget we have to pick up Anita, you two…26…"

"So we're down to countdowns, eh?" The Doctor asked, grinning at Senka's nod,

"Fantastic!"

"We ready yet?" Lucy questioned as she came up from depositing her own bag in the TARDIS, ready for the next week of adventures.

"Can we really be late, even if we're in a time machine?" Adrian asked plaintively as he trudged down the stairs.

Jack laughed as his comment, joining the growing entourage in the hallway, "Shame we're not using the Time machine then, isn't it?"

"What d'you mean?" Josie demanded as she vaulted from the top of the stairs, landing in front of them.

Jack dangled his keys, "I didn't buy the car just to have it sit in the garage gathering dust. Anyway, It will do you good to arrive the same as everyone else."

Finally, their bags were pilled into the boot, and the numerous forgotten items retrieved. Once they were all secured, Jackie emerged from around the back of her prize-winning garden, Mordrid tucked securely under her arm

"So you're all off?" she said with a smile.

Josie nodded, "Looks that way. Thanks so much for taking care of Mordrid for me.

Jackie laughed, "I hardly think boarding school is a suitable place to have a man-eating plant, no matter how small he is. Anyway, we'll keep each other company whilst you lot are out exploring the galaxy."

Josie nodded, "And we'll make sure we email back at least once a week!"

Jackie smiled in satisfaction "I think I can live with that. Now _you _lot. You're to come home for weekends, no exceptions, unless you're caught in prison or some sort of natural disaster. Understand?" The four adults nodded sheepishly, "Good, and _everyone's _coming back here for Christmas."

Adrian grinned, "Miss Christmas in the Tyler household? You've got to be kidding me!"

Hugs were exchanged and soon they were all piled into the car. The engines started up, and they back out the driveway into the dappled shade of their street. Turning around a corner, they found Anita waiting, a grin plastered on her face despite the revulsive looks upon her parents' faces.

"Took your time," She commented, disregarding the horrified glares of her parents, "Was getting worried you'd abandoned me."

"Nah. Never happen." Josie said, smiling to her best friend, who quickly waved to her parents, and clambered into the back behind her.

As soon as her seatbelt was fasted, they started up once more, driving through the sunny streets of almost identical houses, shops and service stations, finally turning onto the freeway.

Josie opened the album, "The photos from this summer. I finally printed them out, and thought it might be nice to have a squiz at. After all, we've got four hours ahead of us."

Crowding around the book, with the three in the back poking over the back of her head, each page revealing another treasure. After a while, Lucy and Rose abandoned their crossword, smiling as they reminisced over the numerous scrapes they had ended up in the holidays.

IOIOIOIOI

"You absolutely certain you have everything?" Lucy asked them anxiously as they grabbed their bags from the back.

Senka nodded, "Can't think of anything we've forgotten."

Rose smiled, "That's always a good thing. Now, do you need any extra money? Food? Water? Socks? Underwear?"

Anita stifled a giggle as Josie replied, "Think we've got enough to last until the end of the week."

"Now, do you two have your TARDIS keys?" The Doctor asked the twins, smiling as they held up the chains that they had them on, "Now if you need us for any life or death situations, then they will draw the TARDIS here. _Only in emergencies, _understand?"

"Course. And yes, we do have our mobiles. And your numbers. And deodorant, toothbrushes, and anything else that springs to mind." Adrian finished, cutting off the elders before they could dissolve into a full tirade.

Jack nodded, "Don't worry. A few bits of string can get you by in the world."

Lucy shot him a mock glare, "But it doesn't hurt to be prepared. Now Senka, you are…"

He drew in a long-suffering sigh, "Tam Senka Harkness, reporting for duty!"

A great bell began to toll. The other students clustered with their parents began their apprehensive shuffling towards the Scotts' assembly hall.

"Right," The Doctor said cheerfully, "Now off you four go and have an adventure!"

Quickly they hugged them goodbye, before together the quartet headed off to join the streaming masses of students.

He turned to Rose, "They'll be all right, my dearest. Now let's go and have our own adventure."

"How about the fires of Boheme8986?" Jack suggested, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Rings of fire around an entire stellar nursery! Over fifty billion miles across, with Huge amounts of magnetic activity, rather a bit like the Auroras on earth…"

"Sounds brilliant!" Rose said with a smile, "Better with two…"

"And fantastic with four!" The Doctor concluded, before he offered her his arm, "Shall we?"

And with that, they headed back to the car, and out into the universe once more.

IOIOI The End IOIOI

A.N: **Sob!** It's over! Or at least this instalment! Thank you so much for reading, and Look out for the Christmas Special "Sage, Thyme and Mistletoe"! Merry Christmas!


End file.
